


Black Roses (ON HIATUS)

by pregernate



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-05 16:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14047833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pregernate/pseuds/pregernate
Summary: Alternate Universe: Occult Detective Alec lightwood is put to work with a crime that happens in Manhattan, New york. He is thrown off his path to focus on that case along with many others, even with his head in the clouds. No paranormal situation could've been as vital as this, never.He and his crew will do anything to get justice and banish all the paranormal in their city. But with this particular Possession Demon, the job is easier said than done.Through this journey, Alec faces denial, post-trauma, romance, mere-death settings.Will he be able to pass through it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> first story on here!! i swear on my heart and soul i will not abandon this story until i finish it  
> (NOT FINISHED!!)

A coffee mug slams against the tabletop.

  
Occult detective Alec Lightwood has been sitting in his office for the last four hours, only ever opening his mouth to mumble an incoherent "hello," to a passerby and have the person he greeted nod and hurry on to their office from the awkwardness that invaded their chat. Alec didn't mean to come off this way, especially since he was that person that liked to joke around from time to time. Today just wasn't his day.

He was figuring out the origins of an old house that had been rented by a small family of three, and for some reason, his mind couldn't focus on the information he had on his laptop screen, wanting to be read and make sure they have melted into his head so he could announce to his co-workers and the victims the statistics he has collected. He was braindead, and there was no reason behind it.

Well, there is at least _one_ reason, Alec would've guessed. Lately, he hasn't been sleeping, either. He has two cases on his shoulders, including the unending complaints from the people getting effected from the supernatural beings. He understood their impatience, the fear of dying or getting injured from the entity's doing, but being the one to handle their cases, their nagging never made the work any easier.

Alec rubs his eyes, massaging the dark bags on his bottom eyelids as he scrolls down the page, skimming through every paragraph, which only gave him enough time to let his eye catch onto one or two words at a time before the other words blurred. He continues this subconscious motion until he lands on a long paragraph. His eyes squint, and he leans in closer as if it would help him see better. "Manhattan house, built in 1763," the detective read aloud, voice raspy and flat, "accompanied with ghosts since it's been in production . . . Construction worker Brayden Harris died from an accident when the first 'draft' became unstable and fell apart, him being in the mix. Production slowed enough to be put on hiatus for a year before it was brought back up in the same location. Recent residents report hammers knocking on wooden planks and cinder blocks screeching against the floorboards."

Alec's eyebrows furrow, bony hand feeling around his desk for his coffee mug, bringing it to his lips and gulping down the last inch of the dark beverage and swallowing it down hard. He leans into his seat, the cup close to his chest as he thinks about what he just read. "Got the origins down, but the family claims there is more than one g—"

"Alec, hey." A feminine voice interrupts him, her knuckles tapping against his door frame, which was wide open. "I thought for sure you were passed out, but when I saw you walking into the lounge for your fifth cup of coffee, I decided otherwise." A small chuckle passes her deep-velvet colored lips.

Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's younger sister by eight months has come to visit him for the short lunch break she is currently having. She's a police officer, with her station not far from where Alec's is, and they would work together on investigations if there was a murder suspected to be executed by something non-human. Now that he thought about it, Alec realized the two weren't able to pair up and figure things out together since the crimes Izzy — as she's called for short — was assigned to weren't as serious or didn't have an option of paranormal activity as an accusation.

Despite that, the male manages a faint grin, brightening his features slightly as he pushes himself from his leather seat, gaining balance on his nearly numbed legs and walking over to his sibling, giving her a big bear hug and little peck on the forehead. "How are you?" He asks drowsily, his smile weakening. "It's been good, even with stupid prank calls and dumb reports." Izzy giggles into her brother's chest, pulling back from the embrace after a minute or two of comfort. "And—" She stops briefly, holding up her left hand to show off a beautiful engagement ring. "Meliorn proposed!" She says, ecstatic. Meliorn was Izzy's boyfriend for three years, and just last week he had finally proposed to her.

Alec's eyes widen as he stares at the ring and its pattern, little diamonds circling the gold. He again dives for an embrace after the surprise is over, lifting her up and laughing in unison. "I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!" He screams, not caring to lower his voice. He is the head of the station, after all. He put her down and pat her head once they calmed, the sleepiness once evident in his body, tone, no longer noticeable from the bubbles in his stomach. "When's the wedding?"

"Somewhere in June. We haven't discussed the exact date yet, but I can't wait!" She grins, happier than Alec could've ever seen her. He huffs softly, his own smile dying into a small upward curl. "Congradulations again, sis. I'll be sure not to miss your wedding."

"Gah, I love you." She says, sharing one more embrace before beginning to head out. "I've got to go, try not to get in any trouble!" She calls out before opening the double doors to the station and walking to her car.

Alec watches her drive away, smiling for a second longer before it completely faded. A quiet sigh goes through his nostrils, and he turns back to his work space, taking note of the filled in reports and clustered folders stacked atop each other. He would organize his space if he had the time to, he really would, but right now wasn't the time. Alec walks over and again takes a seat in his leather chair, his laptop screen now blank. He taps the mouse to open it back up, now on the page he was studying earlier. In his mind, he goes through the information he gathered, opening a side drawer and digging around for his notepad and pen. He flips through every page to find a blank one, writing down all the things he reviewed and then some more, including his own thoughts and concerns.

For a time, he just sat there in silence, again the inability to focus clouding his brain. He messes with his hair and eyes, trying to regain the happiness he lost so he could stay on task. His hand rests on the mouse, continuing to scroll down to see if there was anything else important to figuring out the other ghosts the family claims to have seen.

_There!_

Alec stops on another decently long paragraph, thoroughly reading through it, but nothing else spoke about the hauntings. He was dumbfounded. So, there was only one entity after all. He closes his laptop with a gentle push on the top and reaches over for the telephone at the end of his desk, picking up the phone and dialing the number the family has left for the crew in case they found out anything, and Alec did.

Once the number is in, he waits for a little, a flat line sounding into the phone as it pressed to his ear. "Hello?" A voice deeper than his answers the phone. "Yes, hello. This is Mister Colin Reid? I'm occult detective Alec Lightwood, and I've got some information relating to the haunting of your current residence."

A pause. " . . . Okay, one second."

In the distance, Alec can hear Colin call his wife over, Miss Zariah Reid. She takes hold of the phone and says with relief, "Mister Lightwood! Thank god you called. The noises are getting worse."

"I know, I know. No need to fret, Miss Reid. I have found out that there is only one ghost haunting your residence, and his name was Brayden Harris, a construction worker back in the mid 1750's. He was working on your house, but the first draft — as it's called — went unstable and collapsed on him, killing him instantly. The work was put on hiatus until 1759, being built in the exact same spot."

He pauses to get a reaction, but only distraught sighs were exchanged. "For now, I reccomend you guys to move in with close friends, family members, or rent an apartment until we've had your home exorcised, okay?"

"Yes," Zariah spoke quickly. "We were already planning that ahead of time. We already have our stuff packed, but we just have to call in to see if anyone we're close to are able to let us stay over."

"Okay, good. I will call in again when I have more information to share. Thank you for your time."

They then share good-bye's and hang up. Leaning into his seat, Alec places a hand on his forehead, exhaling heavily to relax his nerves. He closes his eyes and falls deeper into his chair, getting more comfortable into the cushions. His eyes peep open to look at his empty mug one more time, and he decides to have a final cup. Having too much caffeine can be a problem, but at this point Alec didn't care, as long as his systems were pumping. He fixes his hair and picks up the cup, standing up and slowly walking over to his door, which was left open this whole time, and steps out, eyes squinting at the sunset's rays shining on his face, making him look paler than he already was.

As he passes by people's cubicals, the pretty women that like him wave and bite their bottom lip, trying to give off a seductive aura. Alec just nods their way, much to their disappointment. Most men would die to get those beautiful ladies' attention, but Lightwood didn't care. Why? Simple.

He's gay. Closeted, of course. He always thought he was heterosexual up to the age of nineteen, quickly questioning his sexual orientation when his twentieth birthday was nearing, plus the fact he developed feelings for a guy in college once. He is now thirty-two, and all this time, only Izzy knows.

He walks into the lounge room and starts to make a new batch of coffee with the coffee machine, waiting a full ten minutes until it was done brewing. As soon as the droplets of coffee stopped falling, he pulls the container out and swiftly pours himself a final cup, adding two teaspoons of creamer and a dash of sugar to top it all off. He gives it a taste test and approves, heading back to his office with content. Once he settles into his seat again, his phone rings. Groaning grumpily from being interrupted from his peace, he picks up the phone.

"Manhattan Occult Station, this is Alec Lightwood speaking. How might I be of assistance?"

"Alec! Hurry over here, now please." Izzy spat through the phone, frantic and serious.

"Why? What's going on, are you okay?" For the final time, the occult detective jumped from his seat, forgetting about his coffee momentarily.

"Murder scene. It's horrid! Nothing no human could ever pull off. _Nothing_." She sounded on the verge of throwing up, and Alec knows she has immense emetophobia. She's a cop, she's strong. The fear in her tone almost caused a panic attack for the detective himself. "I'm on my way. Stay as far from that scene as you can, Izzy. Stay safe, you hear me? Stay safe!" He commanded and hung up, grabbing his coat off his chair and rushing out of the building, ignoring the worried questions being thrown at him. He runs to his car and opens it, getting inside and buckling himself up with adrenaline-pumped hands, fingers trembling to comfort his sister as soon as he can. He slams the door closed and zooms off as quick as he is allowed to go.

 

 

 

**: Black Roses :**

 

 

 

Alec arrives at the address Izzy texted him on his mobile phone, unbuckling his seatbelt as fast and in a rush as he was before. He opens his car door and steps out, shutting it behind him. He looks around, seeing many body bags lying on the front yard. An eyebrow perked. Did a party go on in this residence or something?

"Detective Lightwood, nice to see you here." A masculine voice snaps him from his thoughts. It was Jace Wayland, his and Izzy's adoptive brother. He was the middle child, being four months younger than Alec. He was also a detective, but instead he was a homicide investigator. "Nice to see you, too, Jace." They shake hands before Alec looks around one more time, eyes narrowing. "Do you know where Izzy is, by any chance?"

"I saw her hang up her phone a moment ago and run to her police car. I guess the crime scene was too much." Jace explains.

"Noted." Alec glances at the multitudes of police cars resting just in front of the tapes  policemen have put up, surrounding the block. He leaned in slightly. "Which one's her car?"

"The third one to the right I believe. If not, her car always has a pink sticker on the back window of it."

"Thank you." He nods in appreciation, patting his brother on the shoulder and turning to the police cars, scuttling over so he could be there quicker. He stops by the side of the car Jace said was Izzy's and knocks on the backseat window with his knuckle, seeing his sister in there wiping her eyes, makeup staining her rosey cheeks, but even the blush was fading from the tears. She looks sicker than Alec could ever imagine. She turns to face him, wiping her face one more time before opening the door and getting out, not bothering to close the door again as she tackle-hugs her brother, smudging her inky cosmetics on the parts of his polo that were visible. Alec could care less, though. As long as she's safe. He pat her hair, fingers running through her jet black locks. "Iz, I need you to cooperate with me, okay?" He tells her softly, pulling back slightly to get a glimpse of her brown eyes, the same as his. They're red and puffy, a new batch of salty tears ready to pour down her face as they built up at the rim of her eyes.

"Th-the—" She chokes on a sob. She looks ready to collapse, her knees buckling. "The what, Iz?" Alec cooes, brushing strands of hair from her face. He knows she can take horrid sights, but this was too much. If she's in a state like this, of course it is.

"Their bodies!" She screams, the bucket of tears tipping over and pouring a waterfall from her eyes. "They were decapitated! Their limbs, _everything_! Their organs were gutted from their stomach, they were thrown next to their corpses!" She weeps and weeps, more makeup washing from her face until she was bare. "Their limbs, intestines, hearts! They were all placed carefully and spelled out, 'WELCOME'! Alec, it's too much!" She continues to shout, fists pounding on his chest like she was trapped in a closet.

She loses her balance from shaking too much and nearly falls, being pulled into Alec's chest just in time. He doesn't shush her, doesn't do anything. He just holds her until her eyes are too dried and voice box too hoarse to continue to wail. He kisses the top of her head just barely and rubs circles into her back. "Take a break from the case, okay?"

"I can't. I'm leading it." She whispers, shattered.

"Change your position. Iz, don't push yourself."

She shook her head.

Alec sighed deeply. "Fine. Just go home for tonight, let your mind rest. You can continue leading the case, just— not right now. Please."

She pulls back and lock their eyes. " . . . Okay, I will."

He nods. "Good. Don't forget to tell Meliorn congrats." He smiles softly, and she returns it. They part from each other, Alec watching as Isabelle gets into the driver's seat and drive off. The sun is no longer out by that time, and the moon is shining as bright as the planet's star once was. He turns back and slides under the tape, going back over to the crime scene. Jace is there on the phone, mumbling into the device before catching Alec's gaze, mumbling another word more before hanging up and walking over to him. "Iz told you everything?" He asks.

"Everything." He pauses, hesitant. "I don't need to see the bodies. From her description, I can tell that whatever is in those bags, it was something no human could do."

"You're right about that." Jace pauses. "I feel so sorry for the victims." His voice goes soft.

"Who were they?"

"Five teenagers, Caucasians. Underaged drinkers, proven from the finding of two twelve-packs of beer bottles, one completely empty and another half. No identification cards yet, so we'll have to share this with the journalists so they can report it to the news and hopefully get families who claim any of these poor kids until the lab gets their names."

Alec nods solemnly, his eyes landing on the house before them, then to the yard where the body bags still lay on top of the victims. His stomach grumbles from discomfort, making him look back over to his brother, eyes locking. Ever since Jace was born, he was diagnosed with heterochromia iridum, or two different colored irises. He was always bullied for it, even when the rest of his physical appearance got better looking. But now he has a loving girlfriend, Clary Fray. She and Alec never talked much, and frankly, he never wanted to. But she's pretty nonetheless, and is an art professor at the local university just miles away. Good life style.

"Were the cuts—" Alec clears his throat dryly, "—tears, uh, sloppy or clean?" He asks, choking on his own tongue. Jace understood his struggle. You don't just talk about this kind of stuff casually, you know?

"It looked like it was done by a surgeon." He answers clearly.

"What?" Alec stops. "But— a human can _never_ do that sort of thing! That— that's not okay!"

"Exactly. Which is why we all agreed to call you. It isn't human, that part is right. But maybe a demon, ghost, whatever, possessed a human and used their abilities to pull off something like this. It's what we suspected, anyway."

Alec has a brain fart. He holds his breath and focuses on the rough road beneath his feet, finger tips pressing against his lips. An epiphany is what he is currently going through. "Ghosts can posess humans, but from all ghost possessions I've worked on, none would be this aggressive and so full of hate . . . " he explains to himself. "But, Possession Demons . . . They can; _are_."

Jace listens in on every word, gulping hard on the built up saliva in his mouth. "So, this is a—"

"—Possession demon."

They stare at each other, communicating with only the emotions expressed in their eyes.

After a while longer, Jace brings their conversation back. "How are you going to track it down?"

"Research."

"You can't, this Demon's just starting—"

"False." Alec interrupts. "Every supernatural being has a reign of their own longer than we thought they do. For all we know, this thing could've been making crimes here in Manhattan centuries back, maybe even all across the world. This creature's crime may have been the first to be noticed, but I bet you my soul it has done much more than this single case."

Despite the confusion that step over Jace's train of thought, he slowly catches onto what Alec means and nods, a half smile curling the right side of his lip. "Okay, Sir Know-It-All." He teases, saluting with his index and middle finger. He pulls out his phone again to check the time.

10:12.

He looks up to his brother and sucks his teeth with disappointment. "Ah . . . Sorry, Alec. I promised Clary I wouldn't miss dinner tonight. I gotta go." He says quietly, almost sad he had to leave his sibling after they met for the first time in three months. "Hey, no worries. Make your girl happy." Alec claps his shoulder gently, reflecting his same smile. Jace gives a final nod before walking over to his car, taking a minute before driving off. Alec looks at the officers still there, spotting the sheriff and stepping over. "Call an ambulance and get the corpses to the labs for DNA testing, then call the case off for tonight. We'll deal with the rest in the morning."

"Of course." The sheriff replied with the same salute Jace had given him, walking over to another officer to do the favor. He, like Jace and Izzy, walks over to his own car and gets inside, buckling himself back up and driving off, too.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

The morning after, Alec stops by the local Starbucks to pick up a casual black coffee, driving off to the house the supernatural homicides took place when he finished, this time his laptop and a bag full of folders sat in the passengers seat beside him. He stops in front of the yellow police tapes but did not get out. Instead, he gets his computer and opens it, typing his pin in before going onto Chrome. With lightning speed, he types the address of the home the murders took place to see if any paranormal activity had gone on previously. Turns out the house was clean. "Dammit." He whispers, looking through his front-view window, at the lawn. He then types " _Possession Demons in Manhattan, New York,_ " and clicks the enter key. The first link to pop up was a page titled, " _Magnus Bane: Centuries Old Possession Demon_ ," and all of a sudden, he's intrigued. He didn't expect a straight-forward answer, more of a list. 

Even though, he clicks on the link and, instead of skimming like the day prior, he reads through every single word. It says:

 _Magnus Bane is the top Possession Demon of all Manhattan. He was first born in 1493 in Costa Rica on December 8th, moving to Manhattan, New York when he was 3. He later died at the age of 37, 1530 from being murdered by his step father. It was found that he suffered post-trauma from the suicide of his mother and abuse from his step father. When Bane came back as a Possession Demon, he made an oath to haunt Manhattan forever out of the unending hatred for his past life in the city. People have claimed to feel the loss of control over their own body and thoughts, feeling weak once they were back to normal. He was also recognized for making the most gruesome homicide scenes in all history. Century after century, people have tried catching him, but never could. He is mostly in his human counterpart_ — Alec looks at the side photo of his human counterpart, his cheeks flushing. He . . . is quite beautiful. — _but when he strikes, he transforms into a demonic creature, sliding into a human's head to have a quicker route at possessing them._

Alec writes all of this down with the notepad he brought along, downloading the photo to his files so he could show everyone else. He then types, " _How to summon Possession Demon Magnus Bane_ ," and gets his answers.

_Draw a pentagram wherever there is a completely flat surface. Get six wax candles and place five at every tip of the star, then place the last one in the middle. Get enough people to stand at the end of each star corner and call his name out three times. Make sure everyone is holding hands so they can form a barrier._

Alec scribbles this all down into his pad and shuts his laptop, smirking triumphantly. He thought this would've been harder, but others were already on Bane's tail for quite some time. He put his laptop into the bag of files and gets out, putting his pen into his shirt pocket and clutching the notepad tightly so it wouldn't fall. Jace and Isabelle are there again, Iz looking much better than he last saw her. He calls out to them, holding up the pad, a proud grin on his face. "Got stuff to share!" He shouts their way, making it to them and showing them the pages.

They looked at each other, than to Alec. "Got a picture of him?" They ask in unison.

"Yeah!" He says excitedly, like this is the first ever case he thought was going right. "But— it's saved on my computer, though. I'll show you guys later. But for now, we have a demon to hunt."

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus Bane is living his undead life on the more "run down" parts of Manhattan, where he lives in an abandoned apartment complex, to which he redecorated and let his partners-in-crime stay, too.  
> He, of course, is having a good time, chattering on about the crimes he committed eith pride, showing no remorse for the devastation he's caused others.  
> But when Alec and his crew is on his tail, he has no other choice to meet them in person.  
> And it won't be pretty.

It's dusk, the sun's light fading until the other stars not once noticed were dazzling up in the pitch black sky. It was a night everyone just wanted to relax and spend time with friends, where they can laugh and gossip and be themselves.

Which is exactly what Magnus Bane and his friends are doing.

Ah yes, the Possession Demon in person. He is quite the handsome devil, if you get the gist. Golden skin complexion, messy yet neat spiky hair style, astonishing fashion sense. If he weren't a Demon — period — he could be the hottest man alive. But who said he wasn't in the Underworld?

Said Demon is currently on the roof top of the abandoned apartment complex he has claimed as his own and redecorated to look presentable to his friends, and so he can show off. Two of his friends are joining him on the top, laughing and smiling at the crimes they confessed to committing like they were considered jokes, while at the same time drinking away at the endless stash of liquor Magnus owns. Of course, Magnus mentions the murder of the five teenagers, and his friends gasp, pausing for a second before their giggling continued.

Raphael Santiago, a lower ranking Possession Demon, tells his story about how he controlled a barista to pour a whole container of coffee onto the cashier and get fired just for the shits and giggles. And that's the exact response he gets. Magnus tries to hold in his laughter while Ragnor Fell, a Shax Demon, is on his back and clutching his stomach, almost broken into tears. Once they've all settled down, Ragnor tells one of his stories that happened just yesterday, pretending to be this boy's girlfriend and scaring the wits out of him when he transformed his head back to normal when they were about to kiss.

"Was the boy cute?" Magnus asks, twisting around a glass filled to the brim with red wine.

"Fairly." Ragnor replies with a roll of his eyes and a smirk.

"I would've kissed him, then scare the shit out of him."

"Of course you would." Ragnor finishes, everyone laughing at that little conversation.

Magnus is open with his bisexuality, and isn't afraid to be a flirt to anyone. Even to Lucifer himself, if he were worth bargaining for, he'd flirt. He has very supportive friends, anyway, so why should he care about others' opinions? Exactly, there was no reason.

As Ragnor and Raphael bicker on with mischievous grins brightening their expressions, the Possession Demon focuses on the drink in his hand, stopping the twirling he was currently doing so his mind could become clear, despite the many cups he already downed in the last hour or so.

He knew of Alec and his crew, them trying to catch him before he can cause any more destruction to their city. It wasn't just theirs. It was his.

It _is_ his.

No, Magnus never has or had any communistic tendencies, but he already has so many people fearing him now and in the past. He was in control from the start, with no detective group that cared enough to continue their cases on him. But Alec's, however, wouldn't give up easily, Magnus already knows that for a fact. But what he also knows, is that no matter how hard they tried to get a hit at him, they would fail, miss. He was too skilled, too used to the consistent attempts at capturing and banishing him once and for all. If they want him so badly, they need to work harder than any Mundane — as he likes to call them — has worked.

"Magnus? Magnus, hey! Wake up, pal." Raphael is by his side, snapping his fingers in the other Demon's face as an attempt to regain his attention. The dazed male suddenly twitches and blinks before looking up to both of his friends' concerned faces with wide eyes.

"Are you okay, dear boy?" Ragnor hums, a few inches farther from both him and Raphael. He sits up, just now realizing he was up against the generator. His body is limp, numb, for a moment before his fingers twitch, too, and soon he is standing upright and breathing slowly like he's about to come up with a panic attack.

He focuses on his beverage like he did previously, before bringing it to his lips and chugging every last drip of the alcohol down, letting it burn his throat and cover the walls of his cheeks, the tip of his tongue, with the metallic taste.

He gasps for breath when he finishes and drops the glass, shattering it and letting glass particles fly, landing all over his legs and his friends' faces. Raphael and Ragnor casually brush away the shards like they were dust and heal themselves by poking the wounds with their fingertips. When they finish tidying themselves up, they too stand alongside their frozen friend, more worry evident in their expression to see Magnus in such a state.

"Ma—"

"I'm good!" Magnus suddenly shouts, gulping hard when he sees their shocked expressions. "I'm . . . Sorry." He apologizes, embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he adds, "I'm gonna— hang in my room for a bit. Don't get in trouble."

"Magnus, do you need to talk?" Ragnor approaches with a baby step.

"No, I . . . " He looks down to his legs and picks out the glass shards, not bothering to heal like the others, before he stands straight again. "—Just have to catch up on something. I'll be back in a few." He assures the two before turning around and opening the door to the stairwell and going down, hand on his head the entire way down until he reaches the third floor.

Half intoxicated and overthinking is what Magnus is right now. If he had just kept talking, he wouldn't turn out this worried for himself. Why should he be? So what if detectives that are related to the paranormal are after him? He's the highest Possession Demon Manhattan's got. There was no reason to be afraid.

That seems to lighten him up a bit, so he continues to flatter himself with compliments, occasionally speaking them aloud. He finally reaches his bedroom and opens the door which was left unlocked. His room is by far the best looking place in the entire apartment complex; just being the best of the best. It's his thing. He shuts the door back up and locks it this time, sitting on his bed after grabbing the remote control on his dresser. He turns the television on and changes the channel to the news.

A female reporter, blond and in her mid-forties, is talking about a burglary that happened recently in the neighboring city. He's just in time for the best part as she changes the subject to the murder that he committed last week.

"Five young teenagers were found mutilated on a private residence. Their organs and limbs were all carefully laid out so spell 'WELCOME' in capital letters. Before the investigators arrived, the neighbors have reported foul oder until they looked at the house the horrible incident took place. They have yet to be identified by the labs and claimed by their families. Quite the unsettling story.

"We have with us today Occult Detective Alec Lightwood to explain his thoughts on the case and share what the policemen, the investigators, everyone, is trying to do to solve it."

The male joining the live news show pops up onto the screen, and Magnus can't help but be slightly swooned by his looks. He looks like the type of guy everyone would die for. But he already knew too much.

"Well, the thing is—" Alec begins, "this homicide wasn't done by a human. It couldn't be, right? Yea. Because no one, not even psychopaths, can pull this off." He scratched at his stubble. "You see— being a paranormal enthusiast and an occultist leads me to come to the solution these murders were instead executed by something evil, hellish. And what could be the worst other than Lucifer, you know? And it's a Possession Demon."

The female interrupts. "Mind explaining to us what a Possession Demon is, detective?"

Magnus leans closer to the screen to listen more intently as Alec smiles very faintly, saying, "Gladly. A—a Possession Demon is a type of demon that, to it's name, can possess any living thing. We don't know, _I_ don't know, how they originated, and though they are common, they are extremely dangerous. Which leads me back to the case. We have found out the Demon that committed this crime. I can't give away much, but all I can say is that the murderer was Magnus Bane, who is an immortal Possession Demon, and people for centuries have been on his tail. They never caught him, but I know me and my crew will."

Magnus turns the television off, scowling to himself as he gets up from his mattress, pacing around his room to think. His paranoia returns, and this time he can't wipe it off with a silly compliment. He can tell they're pushing him, they really are pushing him. They're going to catch him soon, but not now.

No. They're never going to catch him.

 _Just sleep_ , he thinks. _Sleep_. _Sleep and forget about it_. So he did.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

_Pentagram, candles, people._

Alec goes through the list of things that he needs to summon this Possession Demon, his finger tapping the air as his mind says each word. "Pentagram, check. Candles, check. People, check." He murmurs as he looks at everyone he brought over to his humble abode to help him with this. Izzy, Jace, Clary, and Luke, another police officer — the sheriff of the neighboring city. He already thanked everyone for their consent when he called them on the phone. Even when Luke wasn't part of their city, he came just to help an acquaintance.

Everyone is in their positions, the candles lit and the lights dimmed so the flames can be seen. "Everyone, close your eyes and _do not_ , I repeat, _do not_ open them. _Ever_." Alec demands, everyone following his step, him doing so right after. "Now, hold your hands out and never let go once you've got another hand in yours." He again instructs, holding his own hands out for the others around him to feel around and brush their finger tips together before locking their palms. "Concentrate all your energy to one another to form the barrier, and never let your mind wander off to anything else." Alec finishes. Though he can't feel the energy, he knows they're trying.

He steadys himself with a shift, giving the hands he's holding a gentle squeeze so they can pass on to let them know he's ready. After exhaling a few times to build up the confidence, Alec calls out:

"Magnus Bane . . . Magnus Bane . . . Magnus Bane." Then he pauses.

He thought for sure it would take less than a second for the Demon to appear, but it feels like nothing is moving. Everything's still, and so uncomfortably silent.

Seconds pass, _minutes_ pass, and nothing continues to happen. Until the ground rumbles. Again, Alec tries to steady himself, tilting his head down to focus better on his strength to pass to the others, veins pumping on his forehead as concentrating became more difficult. It was like a replay of yesterday. Alec's eyes are shut harder as the shaking becomes more aggressive by the second. It feels like he's about to collapse, his knees are buckling. 

Then that stops, too.

Alec fixes his posture cautiously, opening his left eye to see what was going on. Besides fallen paintings and shattered mirrors, everything is in decent condition. He wants to call out and claim this as the monster being a dickhead, but doing so could get him killed. Even the undead don't take insults lightly.

Suddenly, yellow flames form around the pentagram and ignite themselves, making Alec gasp and flinch. He wants to pull back, but if he let his instincts motivate him enough, it could lead to everyone getting injured and have the Demon loose again. With wide eyes, the detective watches the flames grow tall enough to reach the ceiling, the heat radiating and sparking everywhere onto his skin that sweat rolls from the side of his face. It's been thirty seconds and the flames never die, until, finally, they suddenly are put out by something unknown, revealing the Demon they've wanted.

_Handsome devil._

Alec's eyes fill with dread in an instant, and he blinks to see if this is actually happening. Yes, he's been part of summoning demons and ghosts and other supernatural beings so many times before, but he was just a bystander, never knowing how scary it is to be the host. Until now. He squeezes the hands locked in his tighter, hearing voices groan and wince in the background from the sting.

"Mister Lightwood!" Magnus Bane purrs, turning around to meet eye-to-eye. He leans in close. "So glad to finally meet in person." He chuckles innocently, irises being those of a black cat's.

"I _would_ be mad at you and should've had you dead right now for waking me up from my beauty sleep, but why would I want to get rid of such a beautiful face? Isn't that just _cruel_?" His finger tips brush against the bottom of Alec's chin, making him tilt his head up from the touch.

His hand drops to his side. "You really wanna catch me, don't you?" Magnus teases. Alec watches his every move, gulping down hard on the saliva caught in the back of his mouth. Shivers run through every inch of his body as he feels cold hands again touching him. Bane's hands are on his chest, gently grazing over the shirt enough to tickle him. His hand runs down to his stomach in a sensual manner, and he giggles at the expression Alec makes.

"Well, you're going to have to try harder, pretty boy." He leans back and twirls gracefully, pointing at everyone else holding the barrier together. "These people, _Mundanes_ , people like these, like _you_ , have tried to catch me so many times before and _failed_." He flashes a relaxed grin, eyelids down halfway as if he was ready to sleep. He _was_ sleeping a moment ago, anyway. But now he's having fun messing with some humans. "So . . . Impulsive. Aren't you, Lightwood?" His tone calms. "Were you born this way? Or were you raised to be like this?"

Alec doesn't answer, instead he continues to swallow hard on his saliva, the anxiety getting a jittery inside of him. _Pull back_ , he wants so desperately to do. But the _risks_. Magnus just watches, his grin softening to go for more of an amused smile. And then he laughs, shaking his head. 

"So now you're impulsivity is being held back. Why, oh, why, Alexander?" He pauses, eyeing the detective up and down, biting his bottom lip, the sensual aura still present. "Tell you what— if I weren't a Demon, I'd let you catch me any day." He gets close one more time and caresses his cheek, locking their eyes. As uncomfortable as Alec gets, Magnus is so close that his breath is hot against his skin, able to melt him like he breathed fire.

It is silent for a while. Magnus is smug and flirtatious, Alec uncomfortable. By now he could break his friends' fingers apart from the contact. He's being assaulted by a _Demon_ , and he refuses to fight. Since when does he refuse to fight anything? Right. Never. But now? He's more vulnerable than he ever thought he could get? His guards are down completely.

Bane tilts his head, giving one more bite to his lip before tilting Alec's head down and forcefully pressing their lips together. Alec wants to scream. _Go with your gut_ , _go with your stupid gut!_ He's screaming, oh yes, but in his head. He can't bring himself to pull back and breathe. Why? Why has he become so submissive toward a fucking _Demon_?

Just when his arms are rested around Alec's waist, Magnus pulls back, not even panting. The occultist, on the contrary, is inspiring and aspiring so much air into his lungs. Maybe even too much.

"Oh, stop being so overdramatic." Magnus waves him off, rolling his eyes. They stare into one another's irises for as long as a person could possibly hold, and the Possession Demon says, "Do your friends know you're gay?"

Alec's face flushes, yet his blood runs cold. _How does he know? Where did he get the information from?_

The anxiety was too much.

The detective pulls his hands away from the other's quicker than light, and he collapses. His legs are numbed and feel like bricks in body bags.

"I guess not." Magnus hums. "Don't worry, pretty boy, you're secrets safe with me." He turns just in time to see everyone's eyes already open and staring at him with the same fear Alec had. _Has_. He waves innocently, red flames forming in both his palms, and red glows from his eyes. Without warning, he surrounds himself in flames like he was first presented, and disappeared into them, an explosion taking place once he was gone into the flames.

Everyone fell back, fire balls spreading all over the room. All Alec can see is Izzy being thrown onto a table and break it in half. Ashes are everywhere, and Alec coughs profusely trying to scream her name, then everything is dark.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec wakes up to the sound of steady beeping coming from a machine. He squints to adjust to the brightness of the room, only then realizing he was in a hospital room. And the beeping was his heart monitor. _How did I get here?_

He looks over to his other side to find Izzy peacefully sleeping, little specks of ash still covering her cheek. But he doesn't care, as long as she doesn't fail on him. He looks up to the ceiling and blinds his eyes from the light, trying to remember what happened the previous night, but he can't. He tries to move his fingers, but it hurts, _burns_. He tries to look ahead, and he sees Jace and Clary on the other side, Luke at the very end of the room.

 _Impulsivity_. That's why he's here.

The door opens with a creak, and a nurse with a cart slides into the room. A tall, pretty looking female. She was a blond with peachy colored skin. Probably a mom, too.

She catches Alec staring at her and smiles comfortably, wheeling the cart over and stopping beside his bed. "It's a miracle how healthy you and your friends are." She says suddenly, picking up a clean rag and sliding a bowl of steamy hot water closer to her to dip said rag inside. "The residence you guys were in was nearly entirely engulfed in flames. Somehow, you guys are here with steady heartbeats." She wrenches the rag and brings it to Alec's forehead, and he flinches. He wants to turn his head away, but he was paralyzed. He knows for a damn fact you cannot be paralyzed by fire, so the doctor must've put some type of medicine in him. When on earth was that okay?

The nurse places the rag flat on his forehead, pressing it down slightly so the water could spread around more. Alec shut his eyes to avoid water getting into his sockets, but the female wiped it away before it did. "Oh, right. Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Lydia Branwell." She stands straight and makes sure the bowl is back in the center of the cart so it wouldn't tip over. "And I already know you from the news. Alec, is it?" Realizing she couldn't get a response, she smiles awkwardly and adds on, "So, occultist, huh? You must not be afraid of anything. If you can deal with all those creepy-crawlies, you're pretty tough." Her smile brightens, and Alec wants to laugh at the compliment. It's pretty sweet.

"Well, I'm going to report to the doctor that you're awake but are unable to speak. He'll be here in a moment." She informs, taking hold of the handle of the cart and pushing it out of the double doors she came through. 

Alec blinks to get the other water droplets away from his eyes. His eyebrows knit together as he looks back to the ceiling.

 _Impulsivity_.

_So . . . Impulsive. Aren't you, Lightwood?_

_Were you born this way? Or were you raised to be like this?_

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While still in the hospital, the other crew members awaken just as dazed and helpless as Alec is. With his voice back, he asks them if they remember what happened the night prior, but they too cannot quite confirm the details of the incident. As confused as he can get, after they all recover and get out of the facility, Alec's mind keeps going back to that Magnus Bane picture he downloaded on his laptop, and he doesn't know why. It was as if he ws brainwashed.  
> Speaking of the Demon, Magnus has now kept an eye on Alec from a distance, toying with him and having a laugh. Alec has forgotten, but Magnus can pin-point even the littlest details of that night.  
> With all the pity Bane has left inside of him, he decides to pay a visit to the occultist to confess to him the matters that took place those horrid hours, a smile on his face the whole time.

Just like the previous hours, Alec has been left alone, every inch of his being numbed, shut down. There is nothing more to do than listen in and try to find the comfort in everyone's soft patterns as they breathe in their slumber. That sounds creepy, I know, but no other noise in the room is as comforting as the gentle snores. The clock's ticking is annoying, the heart monitor's beeping is annoying; well, he can't say anything bad about the heart monitor. It's the only thing that assures Alec that Izzy is still alive; that Jace is still alive; that everyone is still alive. That _he_ is alive.

A sting pulses through his numb arm, making Alec quietly yelp and wince and sputter curse words in his head as he tries to curl his fingers into a fist. One movement can hurt so much, he realizes.

The instinct to arch his back from the pain is unexpected, leaving him to make more sounds that could easily be mistaken for the soft cry of a puppy. Instead of him holding back the vulgar word, he whispers huskily a "fuck," stopping only for a second to find out his voice is back. He gasps with surprise and relief, only to regret it as rough coughs begin to puff from his throat and out his mouth from too big of an intake of air all at once. _Deeper down the rabbit hole, huh?_ He thinks with an irritated roll of his eyes.

He lays there for another half hour or so when his body finally relaxes, his mind all over the place with thoughts on such random things like songs or television shows until he hears a feminine voice groaning to announce her awakening. Alec's head turns to Isabelle in a heartbeat, again regretting his actions as a slight burning tingled the back of his neck, soft at first, only to feel like daggers stabbing at his skin non-stop less than a second later. Even after what he just put himself through, he is disappointed to find that Izzy is not the one awake. He looks forward with the struggle to pick his head up, only then seeing who it was that has opened their eyes to a room they never knew they were in.

Clary Fray is awake and, expected from Alec, as confused as ever, told by her knitted eyebrows and pursed lips. He watches her look around the room unintentionally until their eyes meet, making the occultist drop his head into his pillow, which, mind you, feels like there is no cotton in it at all! He honestly feels like the oldest man alive right now; back pain, numbed body, what's next? Arthritis?

The redhead clears her throat, gaze shifting to the mini wooden table beside her hospital bed, all polished and looking brand new.

As mentioned before, neither adult has spoken to one another, and never bothered to plan for it. This is probably their only opportunity now, but again, neither person wanted to start a conversation. A few more minutes pass with the awkward silence lingering through every crevasse, every space, both their minds. Alec isn't one to talk to strangers, as with everyone, but with the desperation to find out what happened last night, he let his gut take the cake.

"What happened last night?" He breathes. "Do you remember?"

He can feel Clary's hazel eyes on him, staring at the strands of hair that poked up from the angle she could see him. A pause breaks between the two again, for she is digging to see if she can find the memory. With no luck, she speaks in an unintentionally sharp, grimy voice, "No, sorry." And Alec huffs a sigh from his chapped lips. Great, she can't remember either.

The double doors to the room open up like last time, a distant _boom_ sounding when the doors were pushed with such force. It's that nurse and her cart again. What was her name? Laura? Alec blinks and shifts to scratch his head against the pillow as if that could get his brain working. _Lydia!_ Her name's Lydia, he remembers. As with that, he also remembers her promise to get the doctor here _three_ hours ago. He watches her push her cart over to Clary this time to tend to her, showing that same smile that almost came off as stale this time. She puts a wet towel over her forehead, making Alec come to his senses and finally feel a cloth on _his_ forehead. Right. She did this to him, too. The cloth was already cold and uncomfortable to the skin now that he puts his attention to it.

Lydia finishes without a conversation this time and goes over to the occultist, taking his rag from his face and dropping it into the bowl filled with steamy water. The wind brushing against his newly exposed skin was more uncomfortable than the cold of the rag, but he doesn't complain. Instead, he asks, "What happened to the visit from the doctor?" That startles the nurse, but she quickly relaxes and meets eyes with him. "He was working with another patient." She answers casually.

"For three hours?"

"Heart and lung transplant."

"Oh," he stops, holding his tongue back from saying anything more. He just nods in understanding, which Lydia takes and turns to go, not bothering to say a good-bye or shed the tiniest smile, even if it's fake. She was so bubbly and nice when he first met her. Did something happen?

Alec clenches his jaw to think more into it, but ends up deciding against the want to get into Lydia's head. It's probably about something personal, so he should back off.

"Do you guys know each other?" Clary's voice stops his thoughts from wandering.

"No." He shakes his head. "We just exchanged names."

"Well, she seems nice."

" . . . Yeah."

Alec can tell Clary is really trying to get something going between them. They have the same group of friends, why not become buddies themselves? It's not that the detective doesn't want to, he's just not that open, accepting.

Both of them bite their lip almost in unison from the awkwardness that again barges into their voice boxes, holding them back so they couldn't speak any more words than they have thrown.

The awkwardness subsides quickly, however, as Alec turns his head to glimpse at his sister. _God_ , he loves her so much. Seeing her like this hurts him emotionally, even though he is in the same situation. He wants so badly to hold her hand and whisper  how everything's going to be okay. He cares for her more than what can be put into words. She's his _sister_ , goddammit. She's the only person closest to him in the family. Not even Jace compares to their bond.

Her heart monitor continues in its pattern. _Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . ._

Everything's going to be okay.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** : 

 

 

 

It's the next day, and everyone is up and able to sit in their beds to eat without the help of nurses this time. Alec asks everyone if they can recall the events that took place the night before, but he gets the same answer he's given himself. No. Despite the stress, he tries his best to wave it off so he can appreciate that his sister is doing well; being alive, even. Before Alec fell asleep last night, the fear of waking up to a flat line which belonged to his sister haunted him; he was petrified. But seeing her eyes open and sparkling down onto the genuinely well-made soup on the mini table before her makes him happy. They survived another day together.

But— something is off. Izzy's quieter than she usually is. She's not laughing as much at the stupid puns Jace makes; and Alec hurts slightly. He pushes it aside nonetheless, and continues to join the chat everyone is in, occasionally glancing at his sister from time to time, the apathetic look he sees unchanging hurting him more each gaze.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Another handful of hours pass before everyone is allowed to leave.

They get their clothes back and are told to change out of the hospital gowns. They all follow the instructions and come out as good as new, the clothes cleaned by the nurses themselves, to which they are thankful. Alec still cannot shake the feeling of Izzy's uneasiness, so he stands by her side as they walk down the hall with the guidance of a nurse to be signed out in the lobby. Once that is dealt with, everyone is out the doors — except for Alec. He is held back to get the news he's been waiting to hear. Izzy stays in the background, waiting for him. She doesn't want to leave his side, either.

Right in front of the glass doors, Alec and a doctor stand. The doctor explains, "Your house was burned down, Mister Lightwood, I'm sorry to say." Alec is taken aback, puzzled. How? Why can't he remember? Better yet, the doctor adds on even more confusing news by continuing, "There is no evidence to what started it." His brain stops abruptly, nose scrunching up, eyes squinting, eyebrows knitting. He can't put the pieces together. _It just doesn't make sense._

"For now, I need you to move in with someone close with the belongings that survived until your home is rebuilt. You just need to specify if you want your insurance to cover up the bills." Doctor— . . . _Somebody_ , finishes. Alec nods slowly, eyes not blinking. The doctor shuffles away while the occultist leans against the wall, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Izzy makes her way to his side again. She has her own food to bring to the table. And it's a lot.

She taps him on his shoulder, immediately getting his attention. Her lips twitch into the tiniest smile, and she can sense Alec's body relaxing. "Number one," she starts off, "I overheard what you two were talking about. Me and Meliorn wouldn't mind for you to stay over until your house is back." Before Alec can protest, she continues counting over him. "And number two; last night, when I regained consciousness . . . I saw your head turned to me. You were sleeping peacefully, as I thought you'd be, but when my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw tears glistening in the moonlight. You were crying. Looking at me."

Alec sniffs, focusing on the vending machines now. He pulls the muscles of his upper lip down to stretch his nose down with it for a second as he processes the rest of the words Izzy has to say. "What were you thinking about?"

"You." He blurts.

" . . . And you were crying?"

"Yeah. I, uh—" He clears his throat, tense. "I thought your heart monitor would stop, and—" Again, he sniffs, looking down to his shoes now. "I was scared of losing you."

Izzy's gaze softens, and she slowly pulls him in for a hug. "You will never lose me as I will never lose you." She promises, patting his back gently before pulling away. "Come on, let's get the last of your belongings and you can take the guest bedroom."

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

With the additional help of Meliorn, Izzy and Alec step through the ash of what used to be his home, looking through different rooms to see if anything survived the disaster. Alec's computer and documents were safe, thankfully, since he forgot to bring them down from his car two days ago. Meliorn brought empty boxes for all the stuff to be easily carried out and put into their car rather than cram every single piece over each other and make the seats more crowded.

Every spot they looked over was thorough, so it took them quite some time to finish up and settle down, letting the air conditioner of the car dry the sweat from their faces.

With Alec seated in the back, Meliorn driving and Izzy next to him, he spots them holding hands and intertwining their fingers. They squeeze their palms together, and the sun's light beams and reflects off of Izzy's engagement ring.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec is sitting on the bed in the guest room Izzy offered him to stay in, legs crossed and laptop in front of him. He is still in the clothes he's been wearing since the morning, besides the jacket he has tossed aside onto the worn down dresser. Ever since he got here, Meliorn would offer something for him to eat, to which he would always decline politely.

It looks like Alec has been studying other "side cases" when in reality he was in his files, staring at the picture he downloaded of Magnus Bane. It was . . . Mesmerizing, clouding his thoughts. He could only focus on _that_. But why? He endlessly asks that question. _Why?_

He keeps tugging at his hair and sucking his teeth, looking and looking and looking around his empty room as if it would give him a sign as to why his brain thinks it knows something but can't point it out.

_Why?_

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

It was fun, messing with people like this. Toying with their minds and emotions is entertaining. But . . . Alec is different, out of the tens of thousands of people Magnus has manipulated. Everyone else reacted the same. Frightened, labeled insane because no one else knew what they were talking about. But Alec? He has a whole crew that are just as supportive of ghosts and demons and angels being real as he is. Whatever supernatural-possibility thing he needs to talk about, his crew will agree with little evidence needing to back his stories up. And it's not just his crew, it's him alone. How he goes deeply into every case, even if it's small or simple. None of his victims even come to the conclusion that they are being messed around with, that they are being controlled, because they don't bother going deeper into the mystery.

Magnus almost shows pity for the pretty boy, how he struggles for answers, how he looks at the verge of sobbing his eyes out from the frustration of not being able to clear his mind of his constant questions. The Demon isn't even a mind reader yet he can tell what Alec is asking and the exact answer he wants to hear. Maybe he should just spill the beans, tell him what happened those days ago. He'll tell him about the summoming, about their chat, about their _kiss_. So tender, quick yet long. The face Alec made that night looked like he wanted to pull back, eyebrows furrowed and everything, but his lips moved against Magnus', relaxed and eager for more. He wanted to be kissed, for his lips to be devoured by another's. But he wasn't expecting it to come from a demon, Magnus knows. This isn't his first time kissing a victim, if course it's not. He's kissed so many people, some his victims, some not. But again, Alec is different. He has a spark, but Bane ignores it.

He thinks about showing remorse for the occultist, even the _tiniest_ bit. With narrowed eyes, Magnus raises his hand to snap his fingers, and in an instant, he's gone from his room.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Due to irritation and headaches, Alex has put his laptop away on the nightstand next to the bed. He is now under the sheets, wearing nothing but shorts and socks and his boxers. The lights are turned out, and his eyes are closed like they begged to be his whole life. Insomnia wasn't the best, but ever since he was a kid, he couldn't sleep the proper amount he was supposed to, only getting three to five hours of slumber each night.

Tonight, he just has a lot on his mind. Maybe too much. He keeps twisting and turning, trying to forget the urge to figure out why his brain is so attatched to that image of the Possession Demon.

He is so caught up with his head that he doesn't take note of the distant _poof_ sound that comes from the corner of his room, behind him. He's muttering things to himself until he hears a soft "Hello," purr through the wind in his room. For some reason, Alec recognizes the tone, but can't put a name or face on it.

Then he gets a glimpse of the being in his room when his eyes open out of curiousity.

 _Magnus_.

The detective's breath hitches in a heartbeat, bolting up to sit. With his back against the headboard, the Demon waves. "Alexander, lovely to visit. _Again_." He hums with an amused sigh. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, a teasing look in his eye. "Why are you here?" Alec asks as confidently as he can pull off, the reluctance still evident. He's scared that if he so much as _breathes_ wrong Magnus will come for him.

"Simply to tell you what happened two days ago, why your house is currently nothing." The Demon looks at his nails, huffing softly. "Unless, of course, you don't want to—"

"Tell me _everything_." Alec interrupts, invitation in his irises as he leans forward instantly.

Magnus laughs, shaking his head. "As you wish, Lightwood." He stands slowly, stepping back to have his space like he was about to recite a poem.

"Thursday evening, March twenty-second, at around ten o'clock at night, you invited your crew over to help summon me. You had everything set by the time they got there. _Pentagram, candles, people_. Remember that list? Ah, yes. Everyone was in place, and you gave them instructions, then you call my name. And there I am." He stops for a second. "I flirt, and you're too afraid for your friends and their safety to back away from the circle. You accept all I do to you, you let it sink in." He clenched his jaw. "You're . . . A caring man. _Very_ caring. You will risk your soul for your friends, acquaintances— hell, Clary Farechild isn't either of them but you still give a damn!

"But I digress." He steps his way to Alec's side of the bed, standing close to him. The detective shifts back, and the Demon doesn't push any further. "I continue to mess with you. So much so that we _kiss_." He let that word burn into both his and Alec's skin. Lightwood is in shock, while Bane is used to it. "So soft your lips are. And you didn't pull back. Why is that?"

"I've heard enough, thank you." The occultist mumbles, avoiding the question, slowly easing back into his sheets. "But I'm at the very end." Magnus pouts, continuing, anyway. "We pull away," he says dramatically, "and you're panting like a dog. Then I mention your homosexuality—"

Alec looks into the empty closet across from him; he's trying to deny it. "—And you pull away. Then _boom_."

Lightwood gulps, and he turns on his other side, snuggling into his covers which are brought up to his nose. "Enough." He demands.

"The end." Magnus concludes the story as requested, smirking triumphantly over the flustered male beneath the blanket. "Good night, angel." He whispers, snapping his fingers and disappearing.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

It's the middle of the night, twelve o'clock, and Alec's eyes are open wide in the darkness of the room. He thinks about what Magnus told him, how they kissed, and how he described it as passionate. He keeps biting his bottom lip to refrain from reenacting how it was played out, now that he remembered. His cold finger tips press against his mouth to feel at the bite marks and torn skin from his own doing. As he thinks of this, he doesn't take note to how hungry he was for a kiss like that until now. He would never give into a kiss from anyone he wasn't _very_ close to, let alone a demon. But his lips . . . He shook his head and buried his face into the smooth pillow cover, grumbling into it out of embarrassment.

 _You know what?_ He thinks to himself,  _I don't care if I made out with a demon. I don't care that he's a mass murderer._

_But, out of all things labeled holy, God forbid I liked it._

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: @tordielordie


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to put the thoughts he had last night behind him, Alec puts a halt on the supernatural murders and continues on with smaller paranormal problems. But, unfortunately, his parents are scheduling a visit, and he's not ready.

_March twenty-eight_ , Alec writes in cursive, twists and curves smooth on a wrinkled journal page, _decided to put a hiatus on the Magnus Bane investigation. The stress the case has given me is weighing me down more than any other case I have worked on, no matter if they were as insane as this one or with a more simple approach._ Alec lifts his ballpoint pen up to his lips, clicker pressing onto his bottom lips. They were chapped, almost as pale as his skin. The reason he was shutting the case off from himself wasn't just because of the stress, but also the kiss he and Magnus shared. It's stupid, he gets that, and to be quitting a case this serious when only on the fifth day of investigating is even more questionable. But he couldn't help it. He was focusing on that smooch more than he thought he would. It's the only reason his heartbeat is rushing its pace.

He comes back to realization to find himself now chewing on the clicker of his pen, his saliva slowly running down the plastic. Without thinking, Alec throws the pen across the room out of surprise from the feeling of warm liquid landing on his finger. He's disgusted, he felt icky. _No daydreaming on the job_ , he nags himself in his head as he opens a side drawer where he keeps spare tissue paper rolls — because of the countless times he's spilled his coffee on his desk—, ripping a few square sheets from the rest of the roll and wiping his finger over and over, getting new sheets after new sheets after new sheets to wipe his mouth and his finger again as if he were wiping away a disease.

Still not feeling sanitary, he walks up to his office door, opening and closing it once he's out to go to the men's restroom. Alec isn't much of a germophobe, he really isn't, but from the embarrassment he felt heavy on his shoulders, his mind just triggered the _must_ to make himself squeaky clean.

The restrooms are on the other end of the whole room and then some, so it'll take quite the time to get to them. He looks over to the office cubicles to find that some are empty. He sighs. The only reasons those spots were empty were because the people didn't want to come to work. He always knew a handful of the workers didn't like the sight of gore or murder, but not all paranormal crimes dealt with that kind of situation. But, he guesses that since the Magnus Bane case popped up, his co-workers didn't want to see the gruesome images that were taken for analysis. Most people here have weak stomachs; even him. He turns his head to continue looking straight, nearly hitting a wall if he hadn't stopped in time. He aspires softly and makes a turn, walking down another hallway before stopping precipitously in front of the men's restroom. He knocks twice with his knuckle, awaiting a muffled, _"Somebody's in here!"_ but nothing came. Hesitantly, he rests his hand on the knob, twisting it slowly until the door opens ajar. With a nervous voice, he calls into the echoey room softly, "Hello?"

No response.

Once his brain is convinced it's clear, he opens the door and flips on the light switch, the ceiling lights brighter than the ones in the other rooms. He adjusts his vision to the shine and steps inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He walks to the sink and turns the knob to get the water flowing, letting the cold freeze and stab at his hands as he scrubs his palms together, pulling away briefly to squirt the right amount of foam soap into his hand.

 _Well_ , maybe more than enough. Even though Alec is a thirty-three year old man, the childish spirit his heart has held close still lingers around every once in a while. And, he can't explain it, but bubbles or foam soaps just make Alec smile. He messes around with it, momentarily forgetting why he's in the bathroom before he washes his hands with the icy-cold water again. He watches the soap suds mix with the water and swirl in the bowl of the sink before falling into the drain. He turns the faucet off and reaches beside the sink to the paper towel dispenser, pulling down the handle until a reasonable length pours from the mouth of said dispenser. He rips it away and wipes his wet hands dry before opening the trash can and throwing the towel in there.

He unlocks the door with a twist and steps out, letting the door shut by itself since he already begins walking out from the hall. Now exposed to everyone else in the office once more, the pretty women wave and wink suggestively, again his reaction being blunt and quick. It's almost like a daily routine, he records. He wonders when they'll get the hint that he isn't interested. Ever since they joined the station a little more than a year ago, they've caused trouble to him. Not that they were necessarily _bad_ , but their constant want to get something more than a nod out of him was irritating, especially when he wasn't willing to take on any bullshit from anyone.

He's back in his office sooner than he expected to be, already seated in his leather chair, leaned back and tired. He didn't get much — if any — sleep at night, so he should be cut some slack. He looks at his journal which was left on his desk, the paragraph he failed to finish still there, waiting for more words to spill. His eyes search in front of him to spot a pen of any color, but only finds a red one, which has been dried out since last week. He's too lazy to get up and search for the one he threw.

"You're so messy looking."

Alec jolts, sitting up quicker than lightning strikes the ground, looking to his door to find a man standing there, leaning against the door frame.

"Excuse me?" He asks sharply, offended and slightly embarrassed.

Raj, one of Alec's co-workers, is the one to make that comment. He's always been more on the sarcastic and offending side, always saying something potentially hurtful or rude whether it be intentional or not. The worker puts his hand up in defense, but not showing any real sign of apprehension. "I'm just speaking the truth." He adds.

The occultist stands once more and scowls, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes to show his agitation further. "What do you want?" He speaks with a huff, Raj pushing himself to stand straight. "I've got more information on the case of the five teens."

Alec raises a brow, stepping away from behind his desk to instead stand beside it. "What more is there to add to the matter?" He asks, tone suddenly calming. He glances to his journal, reading what he can with the angle he has without turning his head. He said he's putting hiatus on this case. His mind says to rip out that page and continue fighting for the justice of these poor children, but his gut tells him to go on with the break. And of course, he chooses his gut.

"The lab identified who they were."

"Shouldn't they have called me?"

Raj shrugs. "At least we know who they are now. Can't label exactly by face, but names are all we needed before giving it out to the public so the families could call out to us."

Slowly, the detective nods. "So? Their names, please."

"Sierra Bridges, Farrah Clarke, Hadlee Imogen, Abraham Dunn, Payton Kerr." The worker lists, struggling with remembering one or two of the names.

"Are the journalists informed yet?"

"No. They will be soon, though."

"How soon is soon?"

"In a few hours or so."

Alec nods. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir." Raj finishes, turning from the room and getting out, closing the door behind him.

The detective lets a breath go, slowly going over to his chair the last time and plopping down carelessly, scooting up to rest his forearms on the desk. He reads the paragraph he wrote earlier and rests his head on his knuckles, yawning to himself and blinking the tears from his eyes. Instead of a regular pen, Alec gets a Sharpie pen from his pen holder and takes off the cap, not bothering to acknowledge the bleed-through the ink makes as he writes in the middle of the page,

_Hiatus on the Bane case. Final decision._

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec pulls up in the driveway of his sister's home, stopping the ignition of his car by twisting and pulling his keys from their slot. He opens the door and steps out, shutting and locking them when he is on his feet.

He stomps on the sidewalk unintentionally until he makes it to the house's door, knocking on the polished wood and waiting for the sound of a _click_ to signal the door was being unlocked. Meliorn opens the door and shines a humble smile, greeting him with a bob of the head and moving back to make way for Alec to step inside.

"Alec!" He hears Isabelle's voice yell from the living room. Confusion blows in his mind. Usually, he was the one to be home before Izzy is. Did he really stay in the office that long? No, he couldn't have. It's only eight o'clock at night, and Izzy is supposed to arrive half an hour later. What on earth is she doing here?

Despite his questions, he makes it over to the couch and leans down to plant a soft kiss on his sister's forehead as his own greeting, still holding his coat in between his arm. "Why are you here so early?" He hums to her quietly.

"Headache." She answers, and now that Alec is closer, he can hear how uneven her speech is. "Ah," he nods, fixing his posture. "Feel better soon." He tops himself off and goes off to the stairs and walks up to his room. The heels of his shoes drag on the carpet covering the wooden steps beneath, and even with exhaustion, he notes how beautiful Izzy's house is. The chandelier is stunning, even if the crystals dangling from the fake-gold chains are fake themselves. He lets himself smile drowsily before continuing his walk until he reaches the second floor, where all the bedrooms are.

He opens the spare bedroom door — which is temporarily his — and drags himself inside, throwing his coat onto his bed without much effort. Not only is all his energy drained from his _everything_ , but he was sweating earlier at work from the contemplation to change his decision on the Bane case. Well, he still calls it the Bane case, but there isn't any exact proof that he was the one to commit it. Alec is sure it's that Demon, he even admitted so on live television, but since he has been inactive for a calculated century and a half, no one knows any sign that could be left from him. No one knows his style, his leave-behinds, nothing. He shakes his head, thinking if he does this it would rid of the tension, but it only builds up more while he thinks about telling Izzy and Jace about his call-off on the investigation. If he did, he would need a valid explanation, and if his _"valid explanation"_ is of a kiss, that'll make them all the more confused about his back-away, plus the fact he has to tell everything about the night of March twenty-second before the mention of his closing.

His sister has told him this before, and Alec never believed it, but now, it's becoming clear that he overlooks everything, small or important. He realized just now that he was thinking of endings that'll probably never happen if he tells them. _Probably_. He bites his lower lip nervously and grabs the fabric of his shirt right above his pant-line and tugs it out until the hem is seen wrinkled and warm to the touch. He goes to the mirror attached to the dresser and unbuttons the shirt, shaking it off his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. He can pick that up when he's done. He kicks off his shoes and walks over to the boxes filled and labeled with his stuff. After pulling out a pocket knife from his back pocket, Alec scrapes the tip of the blade on the tape holding everything together until he can open the covers, digging through the folded fabrics until he finds a simple T-shirt, shorts, and clean socks.

Alec examines his room a final time, then walks to the bathroom door and gets inside, closing and locking it behind him. He closes the toilet seat to place his clothes over it, staring at himself in the mirror from head to mid-tummy. He doesn't care about how good-looking he is, _why would he?_  He focuses more on the scars that never completely healed, marking his skin. Most of the scars were from paranormal attacks, as expected. Back then, he would sometimes spend a night in some people's houses to experience what they were being put through with the ghosts in their homes, and in the morning end up with deep scars that he didn't even feel were cutting him. He shivers, rubbing his scars gently to stop his body from numbing, from reenacting what happened. The hills of his mouth perk as the corners drop into an uncomfortable frown. He undresses slowly until he is nude, letting the air hit his skin as he walks to the shower, turning the knob to let the water pour through, hitting the floor. He sticks his hand into the liquid to feel until it is hot enough before he steps in, closing the curtains behind him.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Isabelle is now sitting upright on the couch, holding a cup of hot chocolate Meliorn prepared for her. She's even wrapped in blankets like it's winter time. Her eyes are focused on the television in front of her, playing her favorite show, _Chopped_. She was always a fan of cooking, even though she wasn't so good at it. Most of the time the bad meals she makes are not anticipated, but once she purposely made a batch of burnt cookies and forced Jace eat them. A smile curls her lips, bare from the usual waxy coats of lipstick she always wears. She hadn't put any makeup on at all, as a matter of fact. Natural beauty is at its best, anyway.

On her right, she can hear someone jog down the steps, so she turns her head, only to see Alec with a towel draped around his shoulders, hair still glistening from the shower he just got out from. He looks at her, and they lock eyes. He gives a warm smile and walks over, sitting beside her. "You feeling better?" He asks quietly.

"Yeah." She replies rather bluntly, but not that she meant to. Alec understands and bobs his head, leaning into the backrest of the couch. For a few minutes, silence inundates the siblings for a few minutes, then Izzy clears her throat. "How was work?"

"Ah, uhm," Alec answers quickly yet reluctantly while he tries to word his sentences carefully. "Not so eventful," He admits after a moment, "but Raj-" — Izzy rolls her eyes at the mention of her brother's asshole co-worker — "-gave me some more information on the case of the five teenagers."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but it isn't much."

"No information is much nowadays." Both Izzy's eyebrows raise as they avert to the coffee table in front of them. Alec has the same reaction. "Now we know the names of the kids, so we can send them out soon so the families can contact us."

The officer gives a nearly discreet nod, sipping her hot chocolate and going back to watching the television.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

"You look so tired, dear friend." Ragnor notices as Magnus enters the lobby of their apartment complex, which they've turned into their big kitchen and dining room. Ragnor and Raphael were already having their breakfast, eggs and bacon and everything, even cookies and orange juice was there. "Not so much tiredness," Magnus sighs, "but more of boredom." He takes a seat in between his two friends, slouching into the chair he took.

"Why's that?" Raphael chimes in, stuffing his mouth with scrambled eggs right after.

"Nothing interesting has happened this whole week!" The Possession Demon complains, giving another exaggerated sigh.

Ragnor rolls his eyes. "Take it for granted." He drops his spoon onto his plate and reaches for his glass of oranger juice, raising it to his lips. "There's never really a time we can simply stop and take a rest."

"You're saying you don't like what you do?" Magnus's eyebrow perks.

"No," his friend replies flatly, "I love what I do — we're made for this kind of thing — but we deserve a small break every once in a while."

Magnus puffs his cheeks, holding back a huff. "Fine, fine." He ends the soon-to-be argument at that.

"Well, if you want to do something eventful today or tomorrow, we can do it," Raphael suggests, pointing his fork at the Costa Rican. "I don't mind what we do, as long as its something simple like trolling Mundanes at amusement parks or something." The three friends giggle in unison, Ragnor and Magnus nodding. "That sounds fun, actually." Ragnor agrees.

"Cool, we just need to set a date."

Magnus inhales, "How 'bout—"

"—Tomorrow at ten in the morning." Ragnor interrupts, letting the higher ranking Possession Demon's glare burn him alive. Even though, he and Raphael again exchange chuckles. "It's settled."

Magnus rolls his eyes and scoots back from the table, standing and pushing the chair back in place with his shoe. "If you need me, I'll be in my room." He scoffs, snapping his fingers. Then, he's gone.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec is back in his office, pens scattered on his desk and his notepad on top of his journal, laptop in the middle of it all. Pages are folded and messed with, pens having dents and bite marks. Magnus's week might've been boring, but the detectives' has been the most rushed he's ever been. His phone has been ringing call after call to the point where he had to let his second-hand man take them so he could lean back into his seat for at least a _millisecond_. He's out of his office currently, overhearing said second-hand man handle the calls for him, for which he is thankful for. He doesn't think he'd last any longer if he continued to take on those people by himself. He's in one of the soft seats in the corner of the lounge room, on his mobile phone and reading through text messages Izzy sent him when he left for work. She had gotten worse, she told him, so again she's staying in. She just wanted to say _good morning_  and _I love you_ , to which he replies back with an _I love you too_.

He looks up when he hears the door to this room click open, waiting for someone to walk in. Expectedly, one of the flirtatious women walk in. Her name is Julia, pretty and sweet, yet too much of a try-hard to get Alec's interest. She waves and winks, turning slowly so he can get a glimpse of her curves, but his eyes are already focused back on his phone screen. He can hear her suck her teeth from disappointment, trying his best to hold back a snicker. But what he can also hear — and smell — is coffee pouring into a plastic cup. His tummy grumbles, but he tries to fight it. His addiction shouldn't be fed right now, not with Julia in the room. If he gets anywhere near her, she'll continue her attempts at swooning him. He waits until she opens the door and leaves with a final purr, "Good-bye, Mister Lightwood," and goes over to the coffee machine, taking a cup from the stack and pouring some of the dark beverage for himself. Two teaspoons of creamer, a dash of sugar.

He gets out of the room after tucking his phone into his pocket and taking a sip of his coffee, humming tunes as he made his way to his co-worker's cubical. He leans over the divider saying, "How were the calls?" He gets his answer instantly, no need for a voice. He can see how tired he is, his hand on the cell phone, palm probably sweaty by now from holding on for so long. Alec bites his lip, feeling slightly guilty for making him do _his_ job for him. "Hey, uh . . . " He continues, lower tone this time, "You don't need to finish anymore calls if there are more on their way." Still no response. His teeth sink deeper into his skin. "You can go home early. On me."

His co-worker finally looks up to him, relieved. "Good luck." He hoarsely grants, Alec raising his eyebrows and sucking air in through his teeth. "You're gonna need it."

He watches the man pick up his jacket from behind his seat and slide it on, waving to the detective before walking past him and out the double doors. He scratches the back of his head, messing with his hair while at the same time taking slow slurps of the beverage he had forgotten he had in his other hand. He makes a kissy pop noise as his lips part from the edge of his cup, his free hand now tucked into his black jeans pocket. He looks into the liquid for a little longer before walking up to the reception area and leaving his coffee on the counter, going out of the building without his own jacket.

He rubs his eyes and loiters against the brick wall, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. No, Alec does not have a full-on addiction to smoking, and yes, Izzy has scolded him countless times about it, but it was only every once in a while if he needed a release of sorts. He slides the pack back into his pocket, pulling out a lighter instead. He brings it to the end of the stick and lights it, immediately inhaling the harmful smoke and puffing it from his mouth when he pulls it back.

Ten minutes pass with him just standing there, looking out into the city before him, tuning in to the sound of car horns honking and people yelling at each other. He even saw a little kid throw their trash on the floor. He called out for them to pick it up, to which they did quickly, but their mother caught them and scolded them as they continued to walk down the sidewalk hurriedly.

He shakes his head and gives a laugh, dropping his cigarette once half of it is already burned away. Alec steps on it to stop it from catching anything on fire and turns back to the glass double doors, pulling them open and getting inside.

"Your coffee is cold." The receptionist informs quietly, typing away at her computer and looking through surveillance cameras still. Alec's lips purse, but he thanks her for the information anyway, grabbing his cup again and, indeed, the beverage is cold. He walks away and drinks some more of it nonetheless, rubbing his eye to take away the sleepiness.

Instead of taking a seat, Alec keeps standing, leaning against the wall with his head down to stare at the carpeted floor.

 _Vrr_ , _vrr_.

His phone is vibrating in his pocket. He pulls the device out and looks at his lockscreen, a text notification appearing above his wallpaper. It's from Jace. _Haven't heard from him in a while_ , the detective thinks with a content huff, tapping on the icon and swiping left. Immediately, he is brought into his Instant Messenger, on Jace's contacts. What he reads is a surprise, and his heart flutters, then aches. Badly. He gulps down hard on his saliva and exhales heavily.

**Jace [3:04PM]**

**Maryse, Robert and Max are visiting tomorrow at 10AM. They'll be staying in Manhattan for a week or so.**

Heat rushes to Alec's back and face. He didn't mind seeing Max — hell, he never watched him grow up in the past four years — but his parents are a different story. He's afraid. His jaw clenches but he plays it off cool.

**Alec [3:08PM]**

**Okay.**

He shoves his device back into his pocket. His dad is an occultist — the only reason why Alec is, too — and his mother a private investigator. Alec wipes his face with his sweaty palms and curls his fingers into fists. They're maybe coming over to talk with him and his siblings about the Bane case, which made the detective's heart drop further down in his tummy. He bit his knuckle, digging his teeth into the skin to try and relieve himself. He put a hiatus on the case. Will he just lie to them and tell all the information Raj handed over?

His free hand clutches at his chest.

_Lie. Just lie._

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heckie this is late i know but hey  
> procrastination does that to you
> 
> tumblr: @tordielordie


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec's parents and littlest brother come to visit him and his other siblings in Manhattan to talk about the Bane case. Holding the secret that he personally held back said case for a rather stupid reason, Alec breaks sweats and is uncomfortable every time they bring that topic up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING  
> \- TRYPOPHOBICS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING  
> \- CLAUSTROPHOBICS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING  
> \- THALASSOPHOBICS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING  
> \- EMETOPHOBICS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING

"Is that really what you're going to wear to breakfast?" Izzy questions, an eyebrow raised as she eyes her brother's outfit from the doorway, her expression slightly amused and disappointed. "What? What's wrong with it?" Alec asks loud enough for her to hear as he focuses on the mirror, buttoning up the rest of the buttons on his shirt and tugging the bottom to straighten the polo out to be more presentable. It wasn't unexpected for Alec to be himself when it comes to his fashion sense mixed with special occasions, but to dress so ordinarily to an event where he hasn't seen the rest of his family in half a decade isn't acceptable. "There's nothing really _wrong_ with it, but . . . " Izzy trails off, eye squinting as her lips purse a tad. "You seem too . . . Underdressed."

Alec just rolls his eyes, running a hand through his handsomely messy hair and rolling his shoulders to pop some joints. "Then what do you want me to wear? A tuxedo so shiny it could blind you?" He briefly glances at his closet, peaking at what he can through the door that is only slightly opened. "None of my clothes could be as nice looking as this, and I'm being completely honest."

He watches his sister grunt and walk from his doorway through the mirror, seeing her pull open the closet doors carelessly, rummaging through the neatly hung clothes on the rack for something more presentable than what his current attire is. Again, his clothing choice isn't so bad, just a plain white polo-shirt and black silk dress pants with dress shoes, but it wouldn't give off the vibe off how successful and confident he is, or at least should be. "God, you're such an old man!" He's snapped out of his thoughts when Izzy screams those words, and he scoffs, crossing his arms. His body turns to his sister, who is practically trapped in his closet now. "How do you live like this? You even have khakis?" Her voice gets louder and more surprised by the second, Alec just shaking his head and looking down to the floor, crossing his left leg over the other as he waited for more lecture. "You are still a young man, Alec, Jesus Christ!"

"Stop talking like mom." He says irritably.

"Well you're gonna need _someone_ like her when she's away!" Izzy's voice is muffled into his different fabrics, yet he can hear her expected disgust for his taste in style.

Another handful of minutes pass with the detective's sibling shouting  _"Ew!"_  and  _"Absolutely not!"_  before he finally hears something remotely positive. His gaze focuses on her once again, a neat jet black tuxedo hanging on a hanger wrapped around her finger tips. "Something formal, classy.  _Finally_." She exaggerates, earning an annoyed huff from Alec. She laughs breathlessly and walks over, handing him the clothes before making her way over to the entrance again. "Try it on." She insists.

The occultist stares at the lapels of the upper body piece, his mind wandering and losing focus for a few seconds before he gets his thoughts back. He looks at his sister, confused. "If we're just going out for breakfast, why are we dressing up so nicely?" He asks, just now acknowledging how  _over_ dressed Izzy is. He could tell too many layers of crimson lipstick was coated onto her plump lips, and too much eyeshadow was covering her upper eyelids.

The police woman gives a pop of her mouth. "Number one, our  _parents_  are visiting. And number two, we aren't just spending breakfast with them. We're spending the whole week with them; still making room for work, of course."

"Bullshit." Alec blurts. "Why am I never informed of these things?"

"You are, dumb-dumb. You're just too much of an old man to check on your phone unless it's about work or pictures I send you of cute boys." She teases, her smirk brightening into a grin and laughing her lungs out of her mouth when she sees Alec's flustered expression. When she calms, her hand is resting on his doorknob, the lock already turned for him. "Get changed, stupid. We leave at 9:20." She shuts the door with a little slam, Alec hearing her two-inch heels clicking on the floorboards as she walks away.

He glances at his nightstand to see the time on his alarm clock, and what he reads in a big, robotic font is  _8:58AM_.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec is back at looking at himself in the dresser mirror, tugging at his lapels to straighten up the upper piece of the suit. Certainly a change from his usual wear. He almost mistook himself for a richer man, which made him snicker. He slicks his hair back with his hand to show more of his face off, finally looking neat since his polos were usually wrinkled. He looks over the outfit a few more times before realizing the bluntness of the look still evident. Even with the silky, plain black suit pairing with a white undershirt like every other formal man typically wears, it didn't show someone successful like those stereotypical businessmen in action movies. This calls for a tie. It would look better, complimenting the rest of the suit, and if not, it would still give some sort of vibe off as good-looking and hardworking. Keeping that thought, he opens up countless drawers and slides various shirts and shorts and pants and undergarments aside, messing the neat folds up completely just to find the right tie. Every so often, Alec would look up to his alarm clock to see what the time was, and each time it would be a minute closer to 9:20. His rushing is hurried up, clothes almost getting thrown until he finally pulls a silk royal blue tie from the second-to-last drawer. He aspires breathlessly, a dopey smile curling his lips with triumph. He shuts all the drawers with gentle pushes and stands back on his feet, taking just a few more minutes to get the tie in place around his neck. He slicks his hair back one more time, locking eyes with his reflection. Now _that's_ the real deal.

After a few more mental compliments to himself, Alec walks out of his bedroom and down the stairs with cheeky elegance. He makes it over to the kitchen where Izzy is, checking social media on her phone. Her gaze is quickly locked on his clothes, however, and her mouth is hung open agape from how classy her brother looks. "Who are you and what did you do with Alec?" She teases, still in awe when their eyes meet. "You even slicked your hair back?!" She realizes, looking as if she were about to faint. "My goodness, you aren't Alec!" She laughs, getting a chuckle out of the occultist, too.

"So," he changes the subject once they've calmed, "I'm guessing they're gonna talk about the Bane case with us?" The guilt resting in his stomach wakes up and barks at his brain from the mention of the investigation, telling his mind to get back into it, to stop holding himself back and lying to everyone else about his step-away. That twisted animal inside of him even made him feel bad for lying to _Raj_. Of all people.

"Yeah." Izzy solidly replies, placing her phone in her tiny purse. 

"Will they be helping with the case? Or at least dad?" Maryse has no reason to join the case because of her occupation. She's a private investigator, whose jobs are to only focus on one person's behalf, and if there were anyone involved in this particular scene and survived, she'd still be caught at a dead end because she'd still need the other pieces from the other girls. But Robert, on the contrary,  is also an occult detective — a better one at that. If only he could take Alec's place in the murders.

Even when dazed off, he sees Izzy shrug lazily at his question. "I don't know," She admits. "They might. But what I do know is that we'll be discussing the case and they'll be looking through all our work spaces to see how we're doing on the topic."

"Does neatness count for them?"

His sister giggles. "Maybe. You know parents." She looks at her wristwatch and walks past Alec. "It's 9:21, let's go."

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Izzy is the one to drive despite the quick argument she and Alec had about him being a good brother and letting him drive. They laughed all the way to the diner though, and it was a good, long one. The officer took the nearest parking space to the building that wasn't taken, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her car door to get out, shutting it behind her. Alec did the same thing, pulling at the lapels for the millionth time she's seen when they were on the road. She knows he's only doing it out of nervousness because, come on, parents are scary. Especially Lightwood parents. "You gonna be okay?" She asks softly, fixing the strap of her purse on her shoulder. In an almost breathless chuckle, Alec replies dryly, "Maybe."

Izzy shakes her head, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Yeah, you'll be fine. Come on." She guides him with slow steps and a hand in the air, being held out for him to hold, though he didn't take the chance. They make it into the diner and go to the registration area for the reservations. "You really set reservations? For breakfast?" Alec whispers, leaning down for all the words to travel directly into his sister's ear the second they come out his mouth. "Yes!" Izzy whisper-yells back at him, her little scowl turning into a warm smile to the woman behind the cash register. "We have a reservation set under the name 'Lightwood'." Izzy says kindly, waiting for a bit before she and Alec are guided to a table set for six. They take a seat across from each other, utensils and menus already laid out in front of them. "Too fancy for breakfast." Alec mutters, straightening his posture. "Oh, stop moping." Izzy rolls her eyes, leaning over to rest her elbow on the table. 

"I thought Jace would be here first?" Alec changes the subject again, looking around at the other people just now getting served their food or have been downing the nutrients since. "He said that, but he always has to tend to Clary first." Izzy gives a _tsk_.

"He's not even a good romantic."

"Look who's talking." Izzy laughs. "You see a cute boy and you go bonkers in a bush."

"Yeah, yeah." Alec waves her off, letting his cheeks burn with the tease, which makes his sister almost lose it.

She looks behind him to see a certain blond stumbling and cutting through people in a rush, looking heated. Izzy waves her hand in the air and grins, making Alec look behind himself and see what she's seeing. He did the same when he too spotted the same man, waving a shorter amount than Izzy had before turning back around. Jace fell into the seat next to the occultist, inhaling deeply. "You look like you just ran a marathon." Alec comments. "I did." Jace said through huffs and rough coughs. "Sad, sad man." Izzy shakes her head. "At least mom and dad aren't here right now." The blond says with a final gasp before putting his head down on the table to rest briefly. Alec pats his back gently before looking back over to Izzy. "When are they coming?" He asks.

"Ten." The female informs, pulling her phone out of her purse to check the time and text somebody. "It's 9:46, by the way." She adds on, a loving grin on her face as she reads something on the screen. She's probably texting Meliorn, Alec tells himself.

When Jace is back in shape, the siblings talk to one another about the stupidest things like drama shows and old cartoons they still watch from time to time after a rough day. Alec mentions the old Teen Titans series back in the early 2000s and Jace mentions the first Jumanji movie, connecting it with the new one that came out in 2017. After that, many more conspiracy theories are passed around from originals to spinoffs; Izzy even brings the Rug Rats into it with her own theories she got off of YouTube. But from the discussion they have, all of them are able to get a laugh out of it and agree with each other, no matter the nonsense. It's times like these where everyone's hearts are out and about, not being held back, times where no one is caught up with so much work they miss a simple coffee break with a loved one. The unconditional love for his siblings bubbles in his stomach, and he's okay with it.

But as with all good things, it has to be cut short. It's already 10:01, so Izzy told her brothers to fix themselves before their parents arrive. The nervousness from earlier ate at Alec's head again, tugging at his lapels one more time, Jace and Izzy watching from the corner of their eyes. Jace bumps his shoulder against his brother to silently tell him he's not the only one nervous, the trio sharing glances and reassuring smiles to one another. It helped the anxiety.

It's 10:06, and their parents aren't here. For a moment, they decided to go back to talking about other irrelevant things, only to abruptly come to an end _again_ when they heard a female voice that belongs to their mother. They lock their eyes for a final time like they're going to get their asses whooped for misbehaving, hearing heels click against the carpeted floor and a kid's shoes stomping onto the ground as they hop.

"Isabelle!" Maryse calls, a genuine smile curling the mother's face as her pace quickens, arms wide to give a hug to her only daughter. Izzy stands and lets herself fall into the embrace of the older woman's, snuggling up against her and earning a peck on the forehead before she leaned back. Alec and Jace get the same treatment, their tensed muscles clearly relaxing at the warmth, and when she pulls back, they're smiling, content. "Alec!" A little boy shouted excitedly behind the detective, and he turns, seeing his little brother Max. He stands and picks the boy up, leaving greeting smooches on his cheek. The kid laughs in response, being put down when he calmed.

Maryse takes her seat across from Jace and Robert is beside him, Max across from their father. "Have you guys ordered anything yet?" Robert asks, opening up the menu and holding it up to look through the various options. "No," Izzy takes Jace's answer from his tongue. "We were waiting for you guys."

"How nice of you." Maryse hums, looking through the options herself, everyone else doing the same after her. It's silent for a while, and Alex holds this moment dear to playfully nudge Jace and for Jace to nudge back, being the immature brothers they always are, and finally getting to do so without their parents threatening to slap them. "About the case of the five teenagers," Robert starts slow, placing his menu down to look at his eldest children, awaiting an answer.

A lump in Alec's throat forms, and it's hard to swallow his saliva. "Ah, well—" the detective begins, "all we've gotten so far are the names of the kids, but other than that, there's nothing." Everyone is focusing on him, but in Izzy's eyes she's screaming for him to calm down. She can sense the upcoming panic attack. "But we've heard from other people involved in the case that you've already found the perpetrator?" Maryse questions, leaning into the table to get a better look at her son. "Yes, we have, but with no evidence to back up our accusation, that _thing_ is able to roam the streets of Manhattan freely. But what I know for sure is the murderer is a Posession Demon, using someone from a hospital — like a nurse, doctor, or surgeon — to carry the deed."

"How so?"

"The cuts and stitches on the bodies looked like something only someone in the medical field could pull off because, certainly surgeons or doctors or _nurses_ know how to do such a thing better than anyone else. If not, why the hell are they there anyways?" Jace chimes in. Izzy shivers and turns her head from the conversation, eyes shutting tightly as she tries to focus on getting rid of those _horrible_ images. Alec reaches his hand over and rests it in the middle of them, letting her know he's here to comfort her. He doesn't wince when she digs her finger nails into his hands, only flinching every once in a while depending on how deep her nails get into his skin whenever she grabs at him. As long as it helps.

"Mm," Robert hums in understanding, clearly impressed by his children's logical, mature answers to their questions. Izzy pulls her nails out of Alec's hand, apologizing profusely through her eyes and the worried, guilty biting her bottom lip receives. He waves it off and shakes his head, mouthing a quick,  _'it's fine,'_ before turning to his right to find a waitress there with a mini notepad similar to his own. She's ready to jot down their orders, starting off with an introduction. "Hello, I'm Kennedy, and I'll be your waitress for today," She starts, flashing a fake smile toward the family. "What would you like for your drinks?"

"Uhm," Izzy trails, looking at all of her family's faces. "Four waters and two coffees."

"Three coffees." Alec whispers.

"U-uh— three waters and three coffees, actually. We'll sort them out from there." Izzy corrects herself. Kennedy quickly writes it on the lines sheet, nodding and giving one more smile before heading off to the kitchen.

"Honestly Alec," the officer turns to her brother when the waitress is out of sight, "You're such a coffee addict."

"Only thing that keeps me up besides yours and Jace's yapping." He rolls his eyes playfully, earning a soft punch to Alec's shoulder from the mentioned blond. Maryse smiles at them, turning away to look back at Max. "Play with your siblings, honey. You haven't seen them in a while." She persists. She and the child look at each other, him trying to find genuine approval, and when he does, he grins and gets up from his seat, running over to his older siblings and dropping his head on Izzy's shoulder, trying his best to wrap his short arms around as much of her as possible. Maryse can hear Jace say in a husky, low tone to Alec, "We gotta keep the humor P.G now," to which the detective laughs and shoves him lightly.

Her smile brightens more, looking over to Robert. They lock eyes and exchange pride to one another. How lucky they feel to have such successful and beautiful children. Maryse doesn't realize that their hands are holding each other until she feels Robert's thumb rubbing hers, gently grazing her smooth skin. Max is now seated in Izzy's lap, playing little games on her cellular device as she and her brothers chat. Their topic is no longer on television shows or the Bane case; right now, they're talking about old video games.

"Mario Kart is forever going to live in my heart." Alec says, pressing his finger tips into his chest, where his heart is. "Oh, B.S!" Jace scoffs. "Super Smash Bros is in it for the win."

"No way! Just Dance is what all the kids wanted back then!" Izzy interrupts.

"Super Smash Bros is best." Jace finishes the argument, crossing his arms and giving off a fake hissy-fit. Alec clicks his tongue and smirks. "Fine. Which is the best coffee?"

"Latte!" Izzy says quickly, putting her hand down. "Cappuccino." Jace also puts his hand down. "Caffé mochas." Alec has his hands up unlike the others, lips sucked in, yet a smile can still barely be seen.

Kennedy is back with their beverages when the trio just start betting on the best dessert — Jace was literally about to pull out twenty bucks — and places them all on the table carefully, yet her hands still shake from the cold. "Here," Alec offers instinctively, getting up to take the rest of the drinks for her, passing them around to his family members. Kennedy's eyes flutter in surprise from the detective's selflessness. When Alec is seated again, she shines a _real_ smile at him, thanking him appreciatively. "I'll be back in a bit to take your orders on food," She waves, walking off a second time.

Alec unfolds the utensils from the napkin they were wrapped in and uses it to wipe his cold, wet hands. He doesn't notice everyone's gaze — besides Max's — until he looks up, first meeting Maryse's eyes, then Robert's, then Jace's, then Izzy's. But she's smirking. Widely. "What?" He clears his throat, slowly putting his napkin down and shifting in his seat from the awkwardness. "Quite the lady's man, _hmm_?" Izzy points at him.

"Huh?" Alec raises an eyebrow.

"You're probably the definition of gentle when it comes to women." Jace's fingers unroll themselves from his palm, explaining with his hands.

"Indeed." Maryse smiles. "That reminds me— have any of you found partners?"

"Clary." Jace says, his face burning pink a tad.

"Meliorn!" Izzy answers after him, holding up her left hand to show her engagement ring. Maryse and Robert's eyes widen. "Oh my goodness! Congradulations, sweet pea!" They say in mere unison. They turn to Alec when Izzy is done repeating her thank you's to them. "And you, Alec?"

"Ah, well— I've got work?" He stammers, rubbing his palm against his knee. His parents still wait silently for a solid answer. "Got no one yet." He finally breathes, biting the inside of his cheek. "Oh? Why not? You're so kind, why won't you hook up with any women?" Maryse says, confused.

" _Yea_ , _Alec_ ," Izzy rolls those words off her tongue with a click, her smirk from earlier wider. "Why haven't you hooked up with any _women_ lately?" He knows what she's hinting at, and his eyes widen in a threatening manner for her to shut the _fuck_ up. She covers he mouth to giggle into her palm, her eyes still twinkling with mischief.

He looks back to his parents and Jace. "My duties for the city is more important than relationships as of currently, and finding justice for the murders involved in the case of the five teens is a top priority of mine, along with many others." He says confidently, his heart shriveling in his chest from the lies. It feels like the oxygen in his lungs were gone. It was as if he's never lied before, which that in itself is a lie. But this one is more serious than denying he's hit his sister all those years ago. This is about murder and the most powerful species of Demon. This is about family secrets and myths. He gulps, but flashes a small smile when he sees another impressed look on his father's face.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Twenty more minutes pass, and a few more arguments are shared between the eldest siblings until Kennedy is back with her notepad and pen. "Sorry I'm late," She says, embarrassed. "Had to handle a few more customers. Some people sure do love our food!" Nonetheless, she is enthusiastic, making everyone curl a half-smile to her. "Okay, now your orders please?"

"Number seven." Alec starts.

"Number three." Izzy is up next.

"Number three, too." Jace holds as many fingers up to the number he said.

"Two number fours and a number one for kids." Maryse finishes.

Alec watches absentmindedly as the waitress rushes to scribble those down, managing to keep her handwriting neat. "Alright! I'll be back in a bit!" She leaves the third time. Jace clears his throat. "So, back to the best board game—"

"Monopoly. And _none_ of you can argue. Every damn kid wanted that game back then!" Alec stops himself, his lips immediately straightening when he realizes what he said, eyes locking on Max, but he's too invested in a game. He exhales in relief, Izzy leaning her head back and groaning in disappointment. "At least I'm right." Alec finishes, Jace laughing at him. "You're such a bad influence."

"I'm the best." He sneers.

"Sure." The blond waves him off.

"I never realized how busy breakfast diners are." Izzy changes the subject, looking around and spotting many waitors and waitresses scattering to tend to different tables. "Every place is." Jace adds.

"I don't care about that. I'm hungry." Alec leans into his seat, slouching.

"Kennedy left just a moment ago, dummy." His sister chuckles.

"We haven't eaten anything. Not even at your place."

"Then down your coffee. That can get you full, considering the many times I've seen you drink a cup and deny even the tiniest snack afterwards."

Alec sticks his tongue out at her, but takes her word and drinks his dark beverage. He glances to his parents, who have been quietly talking to one another for a while now. He couldn't see Robert's expression, but judging from Maryse's, they're talking about something personal, serious. He wants to eavesdrop, but he decides against it, his attention focusing back on his siblings. They are also now calmed, talking about some political or social justice related topics. It's like everyone's happy vibes just . . . died. His nose wrinkles, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the nonchalance. "Er, favorite ice cream?" He squeaks slowly, hoping for white teeth to sparkle through smiles. Smiles do form, and the tension Alec feels is taken off his shoulders. _Yes_. "Mint chocolate chip." Izzy raises her hand. "Vanilla." Jace says afterward. "Oh, come on! What about cookies 'nd cream?" Alec says, tilting his head, getting nods of agreement from the others. They say he's right, but they stick with their answers anyway. Alec is actually disappointed. "I take offense to this— I don't know you people anymore." He jokes, keeping a serious tone. Jace and Izzy both laugh, the blond patting the detective's shoulder.

Kennedy is back in forty-five minutes, carrying big trays on either arm, holding three plates on each. Again, Alec gives her help, taking two plates at a time after asking which ones were which and handing them over to the person who ordered them. "Thank you," Kennedy says once more, still in awe from the occultist's chivalry. "Anytime," He smiles, taking his utensils and scooping some scrambled egg bits when she is gone for the last time, stuffing them into his mouth.

"She likes you." Izzy says casually, cutting and scooping some hashbrowns into her mouth, expression unperturbed when she heard Alec almost choke on his food. He chews slowly to process the food _and_ her words as its supposed to be taken, eyebrows furrowing. When he swallows, he downs some more coffee before waving his index finger from side to side. "No such thing." He denies. "Mm." Izzy huffs. "I'm a female. I know when girls like people." She says matter-of-factly.

"What's your proof?"

"How she looks at you when you help out; she's swooned by you already. But of course you're blind to it because you l—"

" _Shhh!_ " Alec seethes, giving her another death-threatening look. Jace gazes at him and Izzy curiously, slowly stuffing his mouth with bacon. The detective turns to him and smiles innocently, trying to hide the burn in his deep irises. "What are you two hiding?" He swallows his chewed food in one gulp, eyebrow raised. "Nothing." Izzy smiles with the same dash of innocence. The blond's eyes narrow, but he eventually waves them off and continues to eat.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

It takes roughly an hour and a half for everyone to finish their breakfast, alongside mini desserts. They all split the check evenly and get out of the diner, exchanging laughs to little comments and jokes. "Let's check your work areas?" Maryse suggests, glancing at Jace. He's up first. The homicide investigator's posture straightens, but he nods assertively. Their mother smiles, turning to Izzy and Alec. "Go to your own stations, we'll catch up in a bit."

The police officer gets out her car keys from her small purse and grabs her brother by the sleeve, dragging him to her car. "See you there!"

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

When Alec is dropped off at his station, he immediately regrets it. Instead of lapel tugging, he pulls at the hem of the suit instead, huffing slowly to calm his nerves. Why is he _preparing_ to walk into his own building? Julia and her crew. Of course. They'll swoon over him more than they usually do in this attire; he knows them well enough to hold it as a fact.

He pulls the glass double-doors open and steps inside, staying silent and trying to keep himself scarce. His attempt is successful. With a swift twist and pull to his office door and a gentle slam, he's in. Alec lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, keeping his back pressed against his door. After a while, he steps over to his messy desk, taking this time to finally put items into their respectful places and tidy everything up, pulling files and journals and notepads out and lay them on the tabletop. He even got his computer and opened up the website he found out about Magnus Bane. He wipes his palms on his pants, falling on his seat with his hands beneath his thighs. It'll take a few hours until his parents arrive at his station, since they won't come over until they've got every last drop of his siblings and _their_ know-abouts on the case. He decides to nap until they arrive to his place, glad he has time to relax. He leans back into his leather seat and closes his eyes, letting his thoughts drown into nothingness.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec awakens, gasping for breath. He looks around, dazed and confused. He wants to rub his eyes, but his hands are chained the ground with cuffs. He shakes his ankles, only to feel cuffs attached to the ground around those, too. He inhales, exhales. _Where am I?_ He tries to call out, but his voice isn't heard. Not even by him. _Fuck_.

It feels like an eternity as he squirms, trying to break his hands and feet free from the locks. Where is he? He can't make out the scenery himself. The spot he's in is the only thing lit up, everywhere else pitch black.

He hears footsteps echoing a few yards away. They're very faint, very far, but it's enough for a panic attack to kick Alec in the gut. The desperation to free himself gets more urgent. He wants to cry.

The footsteps stop.

Despite Alec still continuing to struggle, his body freezes, and in a blink of an eye, he's chained to the very bottom the ocean. His eye are somehow open and he's able to breathe, but he doesn't want to. He has immense thalassophobia, along with a few others, and he didn't want to experience events as traumatic as his scariest fears right now. Not ever. He tries to yell _HELP, HELP!_ but he chokes on the salty water.

Suddenly, his eyes burn from the salt, and he starts to suffocate. He gets dizzier as seconds pass by. As his vision flickers, he sees a deep sea Anglerfish approach, mouth open wide for a bite.

 

Alec's eyes open for the second time. He is no longer chained down to anything, which he is thankful for. His brief sigh of relief is cut short when he realizes where he is now. His breath hitches. _Tight space. Darkness._ The detective felt around the walls blindly to feel for any line, for something to tell him that's the side where the door is located. He makes another attempt to scream for help, failing like the previous ones. His heart speeds up quicker and quicker. He can't breathe. He rocks back and forth to make the space eventually fall and possibly break with, again, no luck.

He feels hot tears roll down his cheeks quicker than racecars in a tournament. _MAKE IT STOP!_

 

Third time Alec opens his eyes. He's back in the dark space, but not chained down. He's sitting on his heels again, petrified by the past events. He looks up, and with every blink he takes, a cluster of holes inches closer, closing in on him. He wants to puke. His body is about to give out. _Too much._

But the walls disappear. Alec has his mouth cupped with both hands, his voice back and screeching his lungs out from the visions. Waterfalls of tears fall from his eyes, but he doesn't care. He just wants to forget. He hears fingers snap, and a wrinkled note with a bouquet of black roses appear before him.

In elegant cursive, the note says,

_'Quite the beauties, aren't they?_

_\- M'_

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to go camping so this is another late chapter. whoops
> 
> tumblr: @tordielordie


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus's plans with his friends are put on a short delay, which has the Demon upset and throwing childish hissy-fits around. Since his friends are no longer up for the day out, Magnus goes strolling by himself, finding Mister Lightwood along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah heckie this is pretty rushed and sort of sloppy with the wording but i'll be sure to edit it and make it better later on !!

Magnus is seated in his bedroom, playing around with nothing but a pocket knife, flipping it in his fingers and throwing it up in the air, fingers gracefully twirling like magic was in his palm. It's been two days since Raphael and Ragnor suggested they go to an amusement park and mess with Mundanes, but since then they've put a delay on it. That of course made the Possession Demon upset, complaining a handful of times yesterday and the day before about the trip, getting a simple _'later'_ out of both of them. Today, he's determined to get them out of their home and making them enjoy the day. He'll drag them if he has to. He's suited in one of his best clothing pairs; black dress pants and a silky black long sleeved shirt with gold lining wrapping around everywhere, over his chest, stomach, shoulders. He _will_ have a good time, even if it starts out bad.

He flips the pocket knife one more time before throwing it onto his pillows, standing up from the mattress. He wipes his clothing as if he had dust on him, though there were no particles of the tiny atom. He slides his heeled boots on and walks out his room, taking his time when he strolled down the two stairwells, thinking of what to say to his mutuals about their plans. "Cabbage!" He yells, voice echoing down the hallway in waves.

"What?" He can hear Ragnor's voice from their living room, making Magnus change his speed to a jog until he is in the same room as the friend who responded to his stupid nickname. "Our plans, remember?" He gets the question into the other's skull. "Oh, right . . . " Ragnor's voice trails. "Raphael and I don't want to come anymore."

Magnus blinks, leaning back. He's hurt a tad, but also quite angry. "It was your guys' plan! And now you're turning it down? It's like you just hyped me up for nothing!" He points at him. Ragnor stands from his seat, hands up defensively and waving in front of his chest. "Magnus— Listen. We just don't feel any motivation for anything right now. I apologize for working you up for nothing, as you say, but Raphael and I just need a few more days of break before we get back into doing _anything_." He talks carefully, trying not to blow Magnus's bubbles. He's seen him lose his temperature too many times already, and it isn't pretty. The last thing he wants is for the rage to be targeted at him, especially at this time in the morning.

A scowl curls the Possession Demon's lips, and Ragnor is ready to be barked at until the end of time. But instead, he hears a sigh and boot heels scratching against the floorboards. Magnus is in front of the entrance door, hand on the knob. "I'll go alone, then." His head turns, irises looking over his own shoulder. "It'll give me time to think without two bugs crawling on my back, anyway." He's salty, and Ragnor wants to apologize once more, but the ground shakes as Magnus slams the door shut when he's out.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Magnus is now on the sidewalk of Manhattan, a glamour, or "shield" that makes him invisible to the Mundane world, covering him as he walks through and past people. It's a usual day — busy streets, busy people, crowded cafés. Even when Magnus was still a Mundane himself, that long-ago civilization was as busy as this one.

He peaks through bakery windows, not being able to see his own reflection. He's a ghost in this world. That sound miserable, yeah, but Magnus has proven himself that it can be fun. Messing around with people and making them question their sanity once you've played around with them was entertaining, watching them talk to themselves and ask questions to bystanders in hopes that they saw or were put through the same thing they were put through. With that thought in mind, it's what Magnus starts to do.

He begins with people on the sidewalk, grabbing them by the arms and kissing them with a swift lean, letting go and immediately getting widened eyes look straight at him, confused. They felt what he did, but couldn't see him. His giggles are whispered in their ear before he's off to mess with someone else, hearing in the background their shocked, _"What the fuck?"_ 's.

He messes with another handful of people off the street before he goes into small stores, messing with the employees and watching them ask the other staff members accompanying them if they did what _he_ had done. He didn't kiss the victims this time, but he instead ran his fingers down their backs, tracing their curves down to the top of their bottoms. It's disturbing, yes, but Magnus has always had that lewd behavior, humor, and it's funny to him. Maybe _only_ to him.

Again, he continues to toy with another batch of Mundanes, his next location being a breakfast diner. From what he can tell through the glass windows, there are many people, which means there are more victims to mess around with. With excitement bubbling in his tummy, he steps inside. He's more stealthy this time, actually making an effort to get inside the building without people questioning why the entrance doors are opening on their own. Once he's inside, he glances behind himself to notice any faces near the door that are scrunched with confusion, to which, luckily, there were no suspicious looks. He turns his head back to face forward, mouth opening agape to the bundles of people clustered inside the building. People sure do want a quality breakfast nowadays, huh?

He takes a brief "tour" around the place, squeezing into himself to fit through tiny spaces, that being the only way to get past others. He can see waiters and waitresses scuttling along with trays or notepads, trying to tend to their customers. One girl even grazed his shoulder with her own, shoving him into the chair on his other side. Quickly, his eyes dart to the female, eyes burning with how rude a person could be. He knows he's being hypocritical — the girl can't even see him, and she's just trying to do her job — but with his mini outburst on Ragnor earlier, his mood only dropped closer to rock bottom.

He follows the "rude" girl, stopping when she did. She had a tray of fresh beverages held firmly in both her hands and she gets assistance from one of the customers.

Magnus's eyes widen.

 _Alexander_.

Magnus swallows the saliva building up in his mouth, jaw clenching. He never expected the occultist to be here, especially with his whole family. He slides over to the group, standing behind the young female sitting across from Alec. He tunes into their conversation, and apparently, the blond beside the detective is a part of it as well. Are they talking about Alec being a lady's man? It's what he can make out. He hears a deeper female voice chime in, turning his head to see the woman. It's their mother, he assumes. She asks if the blond, the younger female, and Alec found partners. Alec's siblings — which Magnus guesses they are — answer in warm, loving tones, but Alec, on the contrary, is stammering. He eventually says no, his mother looking surprised.

"Oh? Why not?" She asks, leaning in. "You're so kind, why don't you hook up with any women?"

" _Yea, Alec_ ," his sister says teasingly, "Why haven't you hooked up with any  _women_  lately?" Alec's eyes widen threateningly, silently telling her to _shut up_.

Magnus chokes on his laughter, bringing a fist to his mouth so he can bite into his knuckle. It's clear Alec's sister knows about his homosexuality, and she's vaguely teasing him about it. He likes this girl already. But his amusement is cut short when he hears the occultist bring up the murder Magnus committed. "My duties for the city is more important than relationships as of currently, and finding justice for the murders involved in the case of the five teens is a top priority of mine, along with many others." He answers their questions sincerely, eyebrows knit together to show his seriousness.

Magnus hums, slowly making his way to Alec instead, standing behind _his_ chair. He fights the urge to rest his cold hands on the handsome male, telling himself not to run his fingers down the detective's shoulders and play with his hair. He bites down on his lip hard, shaking his head to rid of the craving to smash their lips together. He can't be seen, so it won't be as pleasant as the first time they've locked lips, but no matter. He wants to feel Alec's soft lips against his, wanting him to beg for more through refusal. His pupils thin into slits, his brown eyes turning golden. The tips of his fingers are so close to grabbing at the other's face and twist him around to share another hungry smooch.

He breathes slowly, backing up a step or two with his hands up, keeping himself in that position to calm his nerves and quit the bubbling of his blood. He's felt like this for other victims before, these exact same feelings to grab the innocent beings again and again and again to continue stealing the taste of their tongues, but it's been a while since his last. Alec's sparking the animal inside of him, and goddammit it feels _amazing_.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Magnus doesn't even realize time flew by until the same waitress from earlier returns with two trays of food balanced on her arms. He's been focusing on Alec this whole time. He hasn't even been thinking of anything; not thinking about kissing him, pinning him to a table and breathing down his neck — nothing. He was just staring. His eyes travel down to more than the back of Alec's head when he again offers to help the waitress pass out the goods. That beast inside him returns when he takes note of every curve, muscle, twitch, from this one man. He licks his lips but turns around to tame himself, scolding his sensual tendencies. Being an obsessive _thing_ is scary, but what's worse is what he _can_ and _will_ do when he can't hold himself back anymore.

By the time he's fixed on examining his dearest Alexander's movements, he's already sitting down and eating his breakfast, sharing laughs with his siblings. He can hear Alec shushing his sister abruptly, though, her reaction contagious when she loses it. Magnus doesn't know what she said, but he chuckles absentmindedly anyway. He sees suspicion express itself on the blond's face, making the smile he didn't know was curling his lips widen.

What he just now noticed is Alec's glances over his shoulder, a paranoid look in his eye. He can feel the Demon's stare. He gulps, but doesn't fret. So what? He can't just point at him and say _"Aha!"_ , especially when no one can see him. Not even the detective himself.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec and his family are now done with their food, all adults splitting the check equally before walking together outside, the child that accompanied them holding onto their father's hand. Magnus follows behind their tails, stopping when they did like a game of _Red Light Green Light_. Alec's mother looks over at the blond boy, telling him something and earning a nod. She then turns to Alec and his sister, telling them something as well before the young female drags the occultist to her car. Magnus's eyes squint. He climbs atop the car Alec is in and hangs on to what he can as they drive off.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Alec is dropped off at what seems to be his workplace, slipping through the glass doors stealthily after a nervous gulp. Magnus questions it, but he does the same nonetheless in simpler strides. He's close behind the taller male, just inches apart from touching him. He swiftly opens a door and almost jumps inside, again, the Demon mimicking his movements. Magnus didn't want to come off as a lost puppy, but he's kind of acting that way since he's never seen these places before. He takes a mental note of this building and smiles because Alec is frequently — and if not, always — at this location. He'll be able to watch him days on end. That sounds ominous, he knows that, but just _seeing_ this man in person sends pleasuring shocks up his spine.

He watches intriguingly as Alec sorts some things out on his desk after he takes some time organizing everything else. A laptop, a journal, and a notepad are what lay on the wooden surface. Magnus walks up, examining the objects like they're gold. Alec's hands then come into view, his long fingers tracing over the brand labels of the items carefully. Magnus wants to hold that hand in his and intertwine their fingers. Being that he only saw this man a few weeks to a little over a month ago with little communication, the Demon's already head-over-heels for him. He hears a loud slump and focuses on the other male's full being. He's slouched in his chair comfortably, cracking his knuckles before he closes his eyes.

Magnus tilts his head, watching as Alec quickly passes out, leaned into his seat. Once he realizes he is asleep, the Demon takes this opportunity to get close to him, moving the stuff on the desk away so he can sit. The tips of his boots rest on the leather chair where Alec hasn't taken the space, pulling him closer when he pressed his shoes into the seat. He hunches over to better analyze Alec's features.

"Masterpiece." Magnus breathes softly, noting every little perfect imperfection of the occultist. Alec's head tilts down, to which Magnus lifts him back up with his cold palm, watching him shiver from the touch. He feels how hot Alec's skin is, almost enough to boil him. He's gentle with this man, and for once his hungry thoughts weren't messing with his head. He felt a brief wave of . . . Normality. Like he finally turned on the senses he's missed all these centuries. "My gorgeous Alexander . . . " he whispers, caressing his cheek. "I want you to hear me. I _wish_ you can hear me."

Alec shifts, making Magnus's hands jolt away from his face, but soon the peace returns, and so do his little touches. "Am I in love with you?" He blurts, heat rushing to his face. He's embarrassed by his own question even though Alec can't hear him. He cools off quickly, however, and starts to cackle out of nowhere. "Pssh, _love_." He spills. "As if I would ever be in love with a filthy _Mundane_."

He hops off the desk, shoulders perked. Magnus isn't completely black-hearted like those typical demons; he's felt love before, but only towards other demons, no matter their species. That's what he believed about love. Only those of the same species were to become romantic partners. A Mundane and a Demon is forbidden in his book. He simply saw this . . . This spark between him and Alec as being intoxicated by him. Nothing more. At least, that's what he's using to convince himself that that's the truth. His shoulders drop, thinking his logic over. Is this really just a fling?

His thoughts are interrupted when Alec whimpers, his head turning instantly to see what's wrong. Alec's eyes are shut tighter than earlier, and he appears to be tenser. Magnus steps over as quickly yet as calmly as he can, struggling to play his genuine concern off as nothing. His cold hands press onto the other's chest, patting him softly as he tries to comfort him, awkwardly executing the deed. He notices Alec's hands twitch from his icy touch, making him pull back once more and have his concern become clearer.

Then an idea comes to mind.

Not only can Magnus possess Mundanes, but he can see into other's minds. His time is limited with that ability, however, yet he takes his chances and presses his fingertips to Alec's forehead, concentrating his energy and transferring it to the other until suddenly, he is in a dark, eerie void. There's a white light nearby, drawing him toward it. Cautiously, he walks down until he is a mile away from the source of brightness in such an empty place. From a distance, he can see a person on their knees, hands at their face. They're looking straight, right at him. He guesses they heard his footsteps.

He steps forward a few more times, watching the person scoot back in fear while still trying to stay in the circle of light. His eyes narrow, and what he makes out is an underwhelming surprise. Alexander. He's sobbing, clearly filled with dread. Magnus wants to call out, but interrupting his dream would probably scare him more. 

Instead, he snaps his fingers and is suddenly holding a bouquet of black roses, a pen and a half sheet of paper. He scribbles down a few words on the sheet before snapping his fingers once more to put the items — besides the pen — in front of the vulnerable male. He wants to see his reaction but decides against it. He snaps out of the other's head and opens his eyes to look at the other, seeing his demeanor soften slightly. He's still tense, but not so much to the point where he looks like he's suffering from a stroke. He removes his fingers from his forehead and steps away from the detective. To surprise him more, in a good way, of course, Magnus swipes his hand in the air, real-life black roses popping out of nowhere like a magic trick. He catches it before it hits the ground and tosses it onto the desk, on top of the items Magnus pushed back earlier. Hopefully, it wouldn't creep Alec out once he wakes up.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Magnus spends the next few hours watching over Alec, running his fingers through his hair and comforting him the best he could with caring touches. He didn't want to seem like he cared, but he really did. He was concerned about what happened earlier. Alec was terrified, and so that affected Magnus. He can hear the doorknob to Alec's office open, making him retreat from the knocked out occultist. He sees through the crevasse of the door a silhouette of a lady, and behind her, a man. Magnus can't make out their features until they are completely inside of the room, and they are the people from earlier at the breakfast diner. Alec's parents, Magnus remembers. One of the woman's eyebrows is perked when she sees her son unconscious and snoring as softly as a kitten's meow in his seat. She makes her way over to his side and lays a light palm on his shoulder, rubbing that spot soothingly as she coos his name. "Alec? Alec, wake up, darling."

Magnus can hear Alec groan softly with confusion, looming over to see his eyes flutter open to look at his mother. "Ah, shit . . . " He mumbles, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He stands and stretches his arms out, bending his back to pop the bubbles in his joints, a satisfied moan emitting from his only slightly parted lips. "Sorry for . . . sleeping in. Haven't had a good nap in a while." He apologizes, smiling sheepishly at his mother. "It's okay. Now, can we see your progress on the case of the five teenagers?" The woman asks, pushing the chair back to stand side-by-side with her son, scanning over the desktop. She spots the roses over his journal and picks it up curiously. Magnus backs up against the wall as he watches with an unintentional glare. "Where'd you get these from?" She questions, tilting them over to Alec when he turns to have a look at what she's talking about. "Uh—" Magnus can see the shock in his eyes as he looks over every detail of the bouquet. "Uhm . . . I dunno." He answers after swallowing, almost in a parched manner. He takes the flowers from his mom anyway and gives them a sniff, finding the smell nice. He does nothing more with them when he walks over to where Magnus is to put it in a coverless bin so they wouldn't get in the way of what he has to present.

He goes back over to the lady, his father now at the other end of the desk. Magnus didn't notice until he saw the little kid from earlier as well running over to the seat, climbing up the leather chair and standing on it, still slightly shorter than Alec's natural height. He wraps his arms around his neck and pulls him in for a quick embrace, greeting him with a squeal of his name. Alec leans into him and greets him back. "Heya, Max."

_Max._

Magnus keeps that name and face in a file in his brain to remember.

After approximately two seconds pass with their hug from behind, Alec leans forward when he tells Max to let go. "Okay," He starts, trying to give off a confident vibe, but Magnus can sense his nervousness. "You already know we've already pointed our fingers to a number-one suspect. Magnus Bane." Alec turns on his computer and logs in, going to his files and double-clicking a picture of the mentioned Demon to show to his parents, turning the device so both his parents could examine the photo. Magnus's eyes peer at the detective, eyeing his every move once again as he continues on with his speech. "But, with no evidence to support our claim, he is allowed to be free until we have proof that he's actually committed the crime." Alec reaches over to get his notepad, flipping through half the pages until he stops to the last page with words dribbled just above the lines. "From all I could search for him is that he's a Possession Demon, one of the greatest at that. On the website, where I've gotten the information and picture from, it says he is most known for making gruesome "art pieces"  with the victims' bodies." He puts air quotes around _art pieces_ , Magnus biting back an offended scoff. "That's not enough evidence to prove he is the exact killer, correct? So, currently, my next procedure, in this case, is to dig even deeper, because I've barely even scratched the surface." He throws the pad onto the table, the back of it slapping onto the tabletop. "I'll probably even try to sneak into the deep web."

"You could get viruses. _Critical_ viruses." The father says bluntly. "I know. That's why I'm not using my own computer. We have a few old desktop computers that have bad reception but still work. So, I'll dig around for a bit in there maybe, since, ya know, people in the deep web just love satanism and demons." He makes weak jazz hands. "And if I find anything out about Mister Bane, I will report it." 

Mister Bane? Ooh, Magnus likes that name. He smirks but keeps his back pressed against the wall, continuing to listen in on all that Lightwood has to show. "And also— if Jace or Izzy haven't told you yet, these are the names of the victims." He picks up his journal, flipping through pages, folding some of their edges, before he's on the page where the names are listed. "Here." He hands the journal to his mom, letting her read silently before she passes it over to his dad, then back to the desk surface. "Right. Is that it?" The father asks after a quick scan over what they went through. "Yes, sir." Alec's back straightens, legs tight as they press against each other. "Alright," Maryse says, grabbing Max's arm gently, helping him off the chair. "Thank you for sharing with us, Alec." She smiles once she releases the young boy's arm. She claps the detective's shoulder before making her way to the door, the other men besides Alec following behind. "See you tomorrow, honey." They slip through the door.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

The day is ended quickly, the sunset behind many towers and buildings making the run-down setting beautiful. It's breathtaking. Magnus still has his glamour up, not risking to reveal that he's been with Alec the whole time. Said male is now fixing up his dazzling suit, straightening it before he makes his way to leave, again the Demon following him. Trying to rush the other out the room, his palm barely brushes against the other's back, and he halts for a moment, waiting to get a reaction from him, but nothing happens. He just continues to head out the building. Relieved, Magnus sighs, catching up with him once again. He was about to run into the parking lot until he saw in the corner of his eye Alec leaning against the brick wall with his phone out and up to his ear. Magnus retracts his steps until he is back next to Alec, focusing on what he's saying. "I need you to pick me up, Iz," Alec says tiredly. But that expression changes to an obvious sarcastic one as he answers an incoherent question, "Of course I have my car here even though you drove us to that breakfast diner and literally dropped me off here a few hours ago. I just have it toed in my parking lot." His eyes roll. The Demon bites his tongue to stifle a snicker, loving Alec's humor even if it's blunt.

A dopey smile shines his features after a bit more blabbering. "Thank you. See you in a few." He pulls the cellular device from the side of his head and presses the hang-up button, stuffing it into the pocket of his silk pants. and resting his hand on it, fingertips tucked into either pocket. The sun's dying rays still make Alec's eyes sparkle, making him look even more worth dying for. " . . . Beautiful." The word slips off Magnus's tongue, coming out as nothing but a hushed whisper. Alec turns his head. He heard him. The Demon's breath stops, being clutched in his chest. The paranoia that Magnus got a glimpse of at the diner returned in Alec's wary eyes, him taking a step over to his right, away from the direction he heard the voice.

Magnus takes a very slow step forward, tensed body relaxing when he sees the suspicion in the detective's eye die.

He wants to smooch him. Ghostly or not, he wants to feel Alec's lips on his. To pull him in and have that feeling last forever with pointless denial to empower the kiss more. The urge is stronger since they're closer. His mouth craves the taste of Lightwood's tongue as much as your body craves food and water. He's so close.

But then a car pulls up before him and Alec, and Alec pushes himself off the wall and to the car, opening the passenger's door and slipping inside. The driver pulls out of the driveway and runs off, rejoining the pattern of cars zooming on the road. Magnus didn't even bother to jump onto the top of the car and follow them home as well. Instead, he just stands there, open-mouthed. Alec is a drug. A very . . . _very_ nice drug.

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

 

 

 

Magnus is back home, laying on the couch in an odd position. His head is laying on the armrest, one leg draped over the backrest and the other dangling over the end. Raphael pokes his head from the entrance of the kitchen, spotting the Possession Demon with a very contemplative look on his face. "Oye, ¿estás bien? You haven't said a word since you came back." He speaks in his language softly, stepping out from behind the wall separating the wall from the living room. "Yes." Magnus answers without and emotion. He sounded dead. Raphael saunters over until he is standing right before him, figure looming over the not-so-tired other. "Want to talk?" He offers, dropping to the floor and crossing his legs to better listen to Magnus.

"I . . . " The older male starts, not knowing how to put his thoughts out in simple sentences, or in sentences at all. "I'm addicted to the man leading the case of my crime." His voice is uneasy, squeaky and ear-bothering. He feels awkward about how he worded it, but how else is he supposed to put it? Raphael blinks. "And?" He urges him to continue.

"It's just— . . . I don't know." He shifts a few times in hopes it can relax his body, to which he has no luck. He sits up and leans over, his palms pressing into the edge of the couch cushions. "I don't believe in things of different species being a romantic couple, but then that— _stupid_ detective comes in and makes me start questioning my views.

"How long have you known him?"

"A little over a month? But we've barely talked." He pauses. "I'm currently passing it off as a dumb Mundane crush, as they put it, but there's something more and I'm so bothered by it."

"How does he make you feel?"

Magnus chuckles. "You don't have time for my rambling."

"I am forever living. Tell me at your own pace."

The Demon's weak smile drops, knowing Raphael is right. He can listen to him for a whole week, just sitting there on the floor with cramps that will possibly develop in his legs while he listens to his rambling for a whole week. As long as all his troubles are off his chest. He inspires slowly, thumbs twiddling before he starts off again, "He makes my heart feel warm, I guess. My cheeks turn pink when I look at him . . . I'm desperate to feel his lips on mine, again and again, to taste his tongue and French him. I've never craved a Mundane's body so _bad_ before . . . Never craved someone's heat, taste, smell— every _single_ aspect of them; physically or mentally. He's a drug, Raphael. An unhealthy, unwanted . . . but _needed_ drug."

 

 

 

: **Black Roses** :

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TUMBLR NAME CHANGE !
> 
> tumblr : matt-daddrio


	7. hiatus

uh hey its me  
im putting a hiatus on this story until further notice  
this series really isnt sparking my vibe, and as much as im into ghosts/demons/paranormal activity in general, im not good at writing in those genres.  
as you read this i will already be working on a new alec lightwood/magnus bane pairing story, and i wont turn it down.  
im sorry to bring this so sudden and so little chapters in, but right now this story doesnt make me content.  
do not worry though! i will come back to this, i cross my heart that i will.  
just hang in there.  
i wont link the new story to this chapter so youll just have to find it on my tumblr (@matt-daddrio) once ive posted that the new story is out.

thanks for your understanding, and it was a good few laps to run


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